The Army Veteran
by OnceUponAnatomyMinds
Summary: Emma is released from the Army with honorable discharge after being severely injured on a rescue mission and after spending nine years of her life in the forces, has to make her way in the real world. When her son comes bearing news that she is the savior and she has to try and break the curse while falling for the evil queen, things get a bit more complicated. AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome to _The Army_** ** _Veteran!_ This idea was introduced to me by a friend in work on a boring night in the store, so thank you for the inspiration! **

**A little background as to not confuse anyone; August is not our August, it is just a name, as is Jefferson (this will make more sense when you reach that section of the chapter). I think that is the only thing you need to know, but the story will all come to light in later chapters.**

 **For your information, this will be SwanQueen fic so if you aren't into that, turn around now.**

 **I am aiming for at least 6 reviews per chapter before updates so if you want more, please drop me a review.**

 **This is a very long chapter and all of them won't be as long as this so just bare with this one.**

 **Enjoy!**

Emma sat with her knees up to her chest, her chin resting on top of them in thought. She was due to have a meeting today to discuss options upon her upcoming release next week. She had a hand resting on her stomach, her mind racing. Did she really have to give him up? _No Emma stop! He is going to have a good life with amazing parents. You would have been a terrible mother._ She sighed, pushing back all her hidden emotions as she turned to see someone opening her cell door.

"Hi Emma, your councilor is ready for you now" She nodded and got up, following the woman to her councilors office. She sat across the similar desk and waited for her to make their usual coffee before making eye contact with the woman as she sat opposite her.

"How are you feeling today Emma?" Emma just shrugged in response, sipping at her coffee thoughtfully. Dr. Heeler sighed, leaning forward over the desk.

"Emma, we need to sort out plans for your release, because if you aren't ready to leave they will extend your sentence and I know you don't want that" Emma nodded, looking down.

"What are my options?" She asked quietly, the woman pulling out three small files.

"Community Service in an elderly home for 2 years" Emma pulled a face, Heeler laughing slightly.

"I didn't think you would be a fan of that one. The next is working in a four day a week pub with a tag on for 3 years" Emma nodded slowly. That wouldn't be that bad; getting free drinks on the job for 4 days a week and being home by 9pm. But then she thought of travelling, and being stuck in one place for 3 years would kill her off.

"What's the last one?" She questioned, motioning to the last folder. Heeler frowned slightly, picking it up.

"You can volunteer for the Army. It's a 3-year contract like the rest but you have the option to stay longer if you want" Emma perked up slightly, taking the folder out her hand.

"I like the sound of that" She whispered, reading through the file. Training in Washington for 7 months, then Iraq until instructed otherwise.

"Are you sure Emma?" Emma looked up with an enthusiastic nod, holding out her hand for a pen.

"I never knew my real parents, I was raised in 29 foster homes before I was 16. I ran away and met a man who I thought I was going to marry, who turned out to stab me in the back and get me locked in here pregnant with his kid. I have wanted kids since I could remember, and giving that little guy up was one of the painfullest things I have ever had to do. I want to do something good with my life Dr. Heeler. I want to have some kind of meaning" The woman sighed heavily and nodded, handing her a pen, allowing her to sign the contract.

"When do I leave?"

"Due to this being your choice, first thing Wednesday morning. You will be brought your things from storage tomorrow to prepare" Emma nodded, standing to hug Dr. Heeler.

"Thank you, for everything"

* * *

The next day an officer brought Emma a very large duffle bag and her belongings that had been left in storage when she was sentenced. Emma was grateful to have such little belongings and manage to fit her things in with still a lot of room to spare. She packed her baby blanket with her name sewed in it which she had been found in due to it being one of her most treasured possessions but everything else was little bits and pieces. A video camera was another possession she held close to her heart, flashbacks of Lily and Neal momentarily stunning her. She had filmed small moments with each of them on the camera and would hopefully have more to record, but for now it would go switched off in her bag with years' worth of empty tapes alongside it. She had few clothes which she rolled up and fitted in, but going in the army it would be rare that she would wear normal clothes anyway so she wasn't all too bothered about them. She placed the keys to her yellow bug in the side zip, Dr. Heeler promising to keep it safe until she returned as she was not about to let go of it. Lastly, she pulled something small and delicate out her pocket, Dr. Heeler having kept hold of it for her. She sighed as she fingerd the small hospital band in her fingers, a small smile gracing her lips. In black marker written on the bracelet were the small words _Baby Boy Swan_. She kissed it slightly and put it in her duffle, zipping it up with a sigh. She was all set. She barely slept that night, her mind running at 1000mph. She was going to the army, it was still news to her. The excitement was coating her underlying fear, her brain telling her it was a dangerous decision but her heart soaring at the thought of finally making her life worthwhile. For the first time, she felt like she was important. Morning come by quick, an officer coming to collect her at sunrise. She was lead to a coach which was none stop to Washington. She placed her duffle on the shelf above the seat at the back, the coach not even half full as she settled into her seat. Closing her eyes, she felt sleep finally coming to her when she was rudely awakened by someone clearing their throat loudly next to her, one eye prying open, a frown covering her face when a man around the same age as she stood by her seat, a sideways smile on his face.

"Can I help you?" She asked annoyed, sitting up slightly.

"I'm August, do you mind if I sit here?" He pointed to the seat next to Emma, her frown deepening as she looked around the practically empty coach. Groaning she nodded, him grinning happily as he sat down.

"So, why are you here?" She asked him, leaning against the window so she was comfy but could still talk to the strange man next to her.

"I robbed a bank and have been in prison for 10 months but it really isn't for me and this was my out. You?" She nodded along, looking away as she spoke, still ashamed of the mistake she made.

"A close friend of mine robbed some expensive watches and hid them somewhere and stupidly, I agreed to go and pick them up for us to sell and move away from here. He bailed and I got caught" He placed his hand on her knee, Emma looking up to see a sympathetic smile across his face.

"You loved him, didn't you?" Nodding slowly, he pulled away and pulled out his wallet, pulling out a picture of a young man in a hospital bed.

"This was my boyfriend Jefferson. He had blood cancer and his treatment was very expensive. Its why I robbed the bank, so I could try and pay off his bills and get him better" Emma swallowed back a lump in her throat, looking up from the picture.

"Was?" August nodded slowly, a sad smile on his face as he took the picture and traced the man's face with his index finger thoughtfully.

"He passed away 5 months ago, I wasn't even there to say goodbye to him. I know he still loved me even after what I did so I thought I would respect him by doing something good with myself. When they give me this out I thought it was like a second chance, and chance to make things right" Emma agreed with what he was saying, relating a lot more than he probably thought. She took his hand with a smile, squeezing it tightly.

"We can get through this together. You and me, army buddies" August smiled, nodding his head as he squeezed back.

"Army buddies"

* * *

Upon arriving at Washington, the few recruits were led to a hotel they would be situated at during the 7-month training season, Emma and August in awe as they stood in the lobby, looking up at the glass chandelier in amazement.

"Look at it here! It's beautiful" Emma whispered, August nodding in silent agreement.

"Alright privates huddle up! You will be in suits in groups of threes so get yourself sorted, you have 60 seconds" Emma and August linked hands so they would stick together, wondering who their third could be. They watched people group up, a woman looking lost as she stood on the sidelines. Emma ushered her over, watching as she nervously made her way towards them.

"We need a third person; do you want to room with us?" She nodded, a grateful smile on her face. Emma nodded and looked to the man who had called out, showing him they were ready.

"Okay who do we have here? Privates Swan, Smith and Sullivan. Here are your keys, you are in suit 21K on level 8. Be here in an hour, no later. Your training starts now. I am Sergeant Jackson" He shook each of their hands, shooing them off to their room. They rode the elevator in silence, Emma being first to enter the room when they found it. The three stood in the doorway in utter shock, their jaws on the floor in amazement. There were three large double beds in the room, a kitchen in one corner and an on-suite bathroom on the other side. By the door to the bathroom was a balcony looking out over the city and in the center of the room was a large sofa with a 70" TV on the wall.

"Oh, my…" Emma started, her voice trailing off in awe, August finishing the sentence with a holler, entering the room further.

"God! Look at this place" Emma followed with the other woman in tow. They each chose a bed, Emma getting the one by the kitchen with a grin, August in the middle and the woman at the end.

"So, do we call you Sullivan or do you have a real name?" Emma joked to the woman as August set up his things in the bathroom.

"I'm Lucy" She whispered, Emma approaching her to sit on Augusts bed for a second.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm really scared" She admitted quietly, Emma nodding her head.

"So are we Lucy, but don't worry, we have your back" She smiled, Lucy nodding along, thanking her.

"Look at us, the three wusskateers of the army" August expressed from the bathroom, the two women laughing.

"The three wusskateers, I love it" Emma grinned. This might not be as bad as she thought.

* * *

 ** _9 years later_**

August ran into the hospital, blood dripping off his hands, soaking through his uniform as he followed the gurney that had been pushed in before him. He was beside it as he ran to catch up, tears streaming down his cheeks as he shouted at the limp body on the bed.

"You idiot Emma! Don't you dare die on me, you hear me? You stay alive, you promised me you wouldn't do this!" He was stopped by a nurse as the paramedics went through a set of double doors, August breaking down as he fell to the floor. He turned to look up as he heard footsteps running towards him, his and Emma's Sergeant and friend behind him.

"Where is she?" Sergeant Jackson asked, August standing with the help of Lucy, not caring that he covered her hand in Emma's blood as he accepted her help.

"They took her through there. She wasn't looking good" He chocked out, Jackson not caring for boundaries in the moment as he wrapped August up in a hug. He had been with the three of them since day one and this was not how things were supposed to go.

"I need to know exactly what happened" He stated, August feeling his emotions falling again as he opened his mouth to speak, Lucy stepping forward, swallowing back her emotions as she took his hand tightly.

"We found an enemy camp Jackson, our missing recruits were all there" Jackson nodded along, noting down all he could on his pad.

"She was guarding the door while we untied them all, the area was completely dead but then gun fire started up and we were trapped, it was coming from everywhere. She got a grenade from her pack and cleared one side but our exit was completely blocked" August carried on, Lucy butting in, knowing the next part would be painful to hear again for him let alone share.

"They threw a grenade and she caught it, we could hear the ticking from it and before any of us could take a breath, she took off right in the middle of the gunfire and midway to them, she threw the grenade back and it exploded taking them out and clearing our exit, but she was right in the middle of it and got blasted back"

"Did you get the hostages out?" Jackson asked, August nodding, a sob escaping his lips.

"We got them all and a lot of civilians. She cleared their exit for them so they could all get out. There are about 4 dozen groups of people at base now getting treated"

"She saved them all because of what she did" Lucy cried slightly, her façade faltering. Jackson buried his head in his hands, the pad falling out his grasp slightly.

"Why would she do that!? She could have found an alternate route!"

"General, that is probably the bravest thing any of our privates have ever done! She was a hero" They all turned to see Sergeant Major Phillip behind them, August standing forward slightly defensive.

"She is a hero sir, she is still alive" Jackson held him back, Phillip nodding.

"I believe so too, but you need to think logically private. She took a lot of bullets and a blow. You both saw it firsthand. I just want you to prepare for the worst" He said sympathetically.

"We won't prepare for anything until it happens. That is my motto, you know that" Jackson said, Phillip placing a hand on his shoulder. He had trained Jackson like he had trained his three, and was like a father to him.

"I know son, I know. I just want to show my gratitude. Thanks to Swan, I got to call up 19 family members today and tell them that their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, siblings had been found and were safely waiting at camp to call them. I got to watch families of terrified civilians be reunited with one another. It's not often we get a win like this. I have a meeting to get to, keep me informed and I will be back at sunrise" He smiled at the three and walked away, leaving them emotionally broken in the waiting room, each-others company their only comfort for hours on end.

* * *

Emma's eye burned as she pried them open slowly, her entire body aching causing a small groan to escape her lips.

"Emma? Darlin' can you hear me?" _August?_ She turned her head to where she thought she heard the voice come from, smiling slightly when the blurred figure of her friend filled her sight.

"Hey" She whispered, August letting out a chocked sob as he grabbed her hand, kissing it repeatedly.

"Don't you ever do something that stupid ever again, do you hear me?" He scolded, looking her dead in the eye. She frowned, trying to sit up properly but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see Lucy at her other side, her face like August's, tear streaked and blotchy.

"You need to rest. Your body took a lot of damage"

"What happened? Did you get them all out?"

"58 people are currently safe at base after months of torture thanks to you" Another voice. She turned to the doorway, Jackson staring down at her, the emotions in his eyes making Emma see in depth what had happened. She must have been in bad shape.

"And our people?"

"They are all preparing to fly home tomorrow and see their families" Emma felt her heart throb, nodding her head happily with a sigh.

"Sergeant Major Phillip is coming in a few hours, he would like to speak with you. I suggest you rest up until then" He explained, going to walk out but Emma called him back, August and Lily slipping out as he came to the side of her bed.

"How come you seem pissed?" She asked bluntly, Jackson laughing out loud.

"You almost died Emma" He stated after calming down, Emma sinking into her pillow slightly.

"I was doing my job sir"

"You could have done it safer! I didn't want to lose you. You are one of the best privates I have ever trained and, you are my friend. You scared us all today Swan" She looked up at him, his eyes holding back tears as she took his hand, smiling slightly.

"I didn't die though, I made it. I made it Jackson" He nodded, sitting down slowly on the side of her bed.

"Rest okay? I will wake you when Phillip arrives" She nodded, closing her eyes over, Jackson watching her breathing comfortingly. Hours passed, Emma feeling a hand shaking her shoulder slightly as she was awoken. Opening her eyes she saw Lucy and August at the back of the room, Jackson still at her side, Phillip at the foot of her bed.

"Private Swan! I'm so glad to see you are alright" He expressed, Emma smiling slightly, Jackson putting her bed to a sitting up position, her thanking him as she attempted to make herself relatively comfy despite the pain in her weak body.

"As am I sir"

"I want you to know that 58 people are currently safe at our base and getting ready to fly somewhere far away from here thanks to you"

"Jackson informed me. There were no impairing injuries to anyone?"

"Everyone is well and it's all down to your bravery in the field" She looked away slightly, never really enjoying being praised. She was only doing her job.

"Privates, I would like a word alone with Swan and Jackson if that is okay" Phillip said, turning to August and Lucy who both nodded, Emma smiling at them as they left.

"What's this about sir?" Jackson asked, Phillip coming up to the other side of her bed.

"I understand you are eager to get back out into the field, is that correct?" Emma nodded enthusiastically, Phillip sighing at her reaction.

"Emma, you took three enemy bullets to the abdomen, a piece of grenade shrapnel was found imbedded in your left thigh, another piece just behind your ear almost leaving you with permanent brain damage" She cringed at the extent of her injuries, having not been told in detail beforehand her damages.

"The shrapnel in your thigh has damaged a few of your motor nerves in your leg" He carried on, Jackson looking up at him.

"What are you saying? That she can't come back to the forces in case her leg gives out?" Emma jumped in, shaking her head harshly, ignoring the pain it was causing.

"No! I can go to therapy and get it back to full motion, I can't be sent back home, there is nothing left for me. This is where I belong Phillip, I can't leave"

"I'm sorry Emma, but we cannot risk sending you out in the field with the risk of damaging yourself more or putting others in harm's way due to your leg disagreeing with you" Emma felt her heart shatter as the information dawned on her. She had nothing left, this was it. This was all she had and now it was gone.

"After all she did you are just going to throw her out like garbage!" Jackson shouted angrily, Phillip staying calm as he held his hand out in front of him, handing Jackson and envelope which he snatched annoyingly from him. Opening the letter, his face softened slightly, him looking back up at Phillip with raised eyebrows.

"Are you serious?" Emma looked between the two, frowning deeply.

"What?"

"We will arrange things when she is released. Recover well Private, I will see you soon" He patted her arm and left the room, Emma staring up at Jackson in annoyance.

"Jackson what does the letter say?"

"They are releasing you with Honorable discharge" Emma's jaw dropped, her mouth drying up slightly.

"Like, with the medal and the reward discharge?" He nodded, sitting down with a slump.

"$3500 weekly. Emma, this is amazing. You can start a new life with this"

"I don't want a new life! This is who I am, this was supposed to be my second chance" She cried, burying her head in her hands.

"Emma, you have been with the forces for 9 years. It's time to settle down, enjoy life. You deserve this, I was expecting a discharge and some congratulations but Emma, this is the best of the best" She sighed, running her hands down her face annoyingly.

"So, that's it? I'm done" He grabbed her hand, nodding sadly.

"You're done"

* * *

 _1 year later_

Emma folded up one of hundreds of letters she had received off Lucy, Jackson and August in the time between present and her release and placed it in the box she had them all saved in. Sighing heavily, she sat on the edge of her sofa and looked out over the city through her apartment window, a glass of red wine in her hand. She missed being out there, being where all the action was, but she knew that with her injuries no force would take her on now. She knew that she still had her three friends close to her heart, but she was alone. She had nobody. Her thoughts were shattered when there was a knocking on her apartment door, a frown covering her face as she got up off the sofa and dumped her glass on the side. Opening the door, she was surprised to find a small child standing on the door front, a large grin on his face as he looked up.

"Are you Emma Swan?" Nodding slowly, she watched in shock as he walked in past her, now standing in the living space with the same grin on his face.

"Who are you?" She asked, not moving from the doorway.

"I'm your son" Her jaw dropped, her head shaking from side to side.

"I don't have a son"

"Did you give up a baby 10 years ago?" Emma's heart stopped. Her silence answered his question as he nodded, walking up to her, his hand outstretched.

"Exactly. I'm your son, Henry"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for your encouraging reviews! I am so glad you liked the beginning of the story and I hope you enjoy the next installment. I am going to try and follow through with some story lines from season one but will be heating things up a bit as we go along.**

 **Also to the guest reviewer who mentioned my mistakes, I am terribly sorry for those and I am going to do my research and try and fix them! My granddad is a veteran so I will try and get details from him about rankings and such but he was in the UK army so I know they are a lot different. As to the hotel, I only did that because I wanted to show the difference between how Emma's life has been compared to the others (this will be shown in flashbacks). I understand that they would be brutally taught how to cope but this was just my own little twist to it. I hope my changes (when I do them) are better than my first take.**

 **Okay so the next chapter will show Emma and Regina having a bit of a showdown and well, you will see!**

 **For now, enjoy and don't forget to review dearies :)**

An hour later, Henry had managed to convince Emma to not call the police, give him a mug of juice, a cookie and take him back home to Storybrooke. She sat in the car at a red light staring at him, seeing the same cunning eyes and curious smile on his face that she once had. Shaking her head, she carried on with the drive, it being a while yet till they reached Maine. 3 hours had passed since they started driving, Emma's body aching slightly from the uncomfortable position her bug seat was putting her in. She shifted awkwardly, Henry watching her out of the corner of his eye. He watched curiously as she rubbed her thigh and winced, and drove for a while with one arm wrapped around her torso.

"Are you okay? We can pull over if you want" He offered, his corner flattering Emma.

"I'm okay kid, just tired" Why go into the details of her past with someone she just met. Whether he was her kid or not, she was not about to pour her life story out to him. He nodded, the two drifting off into a comfortable silence again. Emma couldn't help but think about how long it had been since she had been on a long drive, memories filling her mind as she drove down the empty highway.

 _August snored softly in the chair next to Emma, Lucy slumped against Emma's chair in the back._

 _"_ _If he was planning on falling asleep he could have warned us and let me sit in the front. It's so cramped back here" She complained loudly, hoping to wake him but as they knew from first-hand experience, nothing could wake the man while he was sleeping, except maybe an ice bucket._

 _"_ _Stop complaining, we will be there soon" Emma laughed, cracking her neck causing Lucy to cringe and lean away from her chair._

 _"_ _Yeah whatever. We still have 5 more hours to go!" She sighed and laid down across the back seats, Emma looking back at her through the rearview mirror._

 _"_ _Why don't you follow in his footsteps and sleep for a bit" She offered, Lucy shaking her head, sitting back up._

 _"_ _I can't, I fell asleep really early last night and I am wide awake today" Emma rolled her eyes, the two sitting in silence before Lucy popped her head back into the front, a silly grin on her face._

 _"_ _Eye spy with my little eye, something beginning with S" Emma groaned, hitting her head with her hand._

 _"_ _Lucy, we are in the middle of a desert, there is nothing to spy!" She exclaimed, Lucy pouting like a little child._

 _"_ _Come on, we have 5 hours to do nothing so we might as well entertain ourselves"_

 _"_ _Fine. Is it sand?" Lucy frowned, looking down slightly._

 _"_ _How did you guess it that quick?"_

 _"_ _We are in the middle of nowhere! All there is, is sand!" Emma laughed exasperatedly, Lucy giggling slightly._

 _"_ _You do have a point there" Again, they fell into a silence, Emma shaking her head as Lucy sighed annoyingly, looking around to try and find something else to entertain herself with._

 _"_ _Too bad we don't have a radio signal out here" She stated, Emma agreeing slightly._

 _"_ _I do miss my music. That's one thing I am looking forward to when we get home for our 2-month break. Listening to music every day, all day"_

 _"_ _Favorite song?" Lucy wondered, Emma furrowing her eyebrows in thought._

 _"_ _Ever or since our last trip home?"_

 _"_ _Since our last trip home. We all know your ultimate favorite song is that stupid Aerosmith one from that stupid Willis movie" Emma turned to smack her friend slightly, Lucy laughing at her defensive tactics._

 _"_ _Hey! I Don't Want to Miss a Thing is one of the best songs ever, and Armageddon is the greatest film ever, so shut your mouth!" Lucy rolled her eyes, Emma putting her eyes back on the dirt road as she continued thinking._

 _"_ _Probably the new Lady Gaga song that come out before we came back here, PockerFace" Lucy cheered, nodding her head in agreement._

 _"_ _I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas plays._

 _Fold 'em, let 'em, hit me, raise it baby stay with me" Emma immediately caught onto what her friend was doing, bopping her head slightly to the rhythm, butting in before she could continue._

 _"_ _Love Game intuition play the cards with spades to start_

 _And after he's been hooked I'll play the one that's on his heart" The two continued in bad harmony together, both laughing at the fact they were singing at the top of their lungs and August was still sound asleep._

 _"_ _Can't read my,_

 _Can't read my,_

 _No he can't read my poker face"_

Henry stared at Emma again as she started humming to herself, wondering what was going on in dazed mind as she bopped her head to herself.

"Are you singing PockerFace?" He asked, Emma turning to him with a small smile.

"It's a good song"

* * *

Emma saw the sign to Storybrooke in the distance, shaking henry slightly who had dozed off in the seat next to her.

"Hey kid, we are here" He rubbed his eyes, Emma smiling slightly at how similar he was to her. They had the same tired expression, the same furrowed frown. It was kind of comforting for her. They drove down the long, winding road into the town center, Emma pulling up to the side of the road, her and Henry getting out.

"Okay kid, how about an address?" He put his hand on his chin in a fake thinking motion, then shook his head, Emma rolling her eyes.

"24 not telling you street"

"Come on kid! You are going to be missed by someone, your parents are going to be worried sick" She flailed her arms around in annoyance, Henry cringing.

"My mom won't be missing me, she doesn't even love me!" Emma crouched down to his level, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Come on kid, what's really going on here? Why did you come and get me?" He sighed, pulling out the book from his bag, handing it to her. She frowned, looking back up at him with a shake of the head.

"This book, it's not fairytales, it's all real. The characters in this book are real people, and they have been cursed here by the evil queen. You are the one who can save them" Emma's eyes went wide. She thought that he might have been joking but the seriousness on his face was concerning. They were snapped out of their awkward silence when a man approached them with a dog, looking awfully worried at Henry.

"Henry? What are you doing out here? You missed our session" He asked, Henry seemingly ignoring the man as he went to stroke his dog. Emma frowned. Session?

"Hey Pongo" He greeted happily, the man looking up at Emma who was not staring at the book in thought. _The kid had to be kidding, right_? Emma shook her head. The fact that she could possibly believe this is obdured.

"Who is this?" The man asked again, Emma opening her mouth to reply but Henry beat her to it, the grin on his face making her heart swell.

"This is my mom"

"You found her?" He whispered, Emma tilting her head in wonder.

"Wait, this has been an ongoing thing? The subject of me?" She asked out loud, the man nodding slightly.

"It has been for a while yes. He has been eager to find you for just over 2 years" Emma's heart swelled, but she needed to get the kid home. They could discuss the matter later.

"I really have to get him home, don't have an address, do you?" She asked the man, a smile coming to his face.

"Turn onto the next street, the mayors house is the biggest on the block" Emma turned to look at Henry with a raised eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're the mayor's son!?" He looked down slightly, Emma shaking her head and she motioned for him to get back in the car.

"Thank you, erm.." Emma froze as she realized he has not mentioned his name. He held out his hand and smiled, Emma taking it with a sturdy shake.

"Archie Hopper"

"Emma Swan" They parted ways, Emma climbing back into the car next to Henry.

"So, who is he?" Emma wondered, Henry not thinking as he spoke.

"Jiminy Cricket" Sighing, Emma turned to him, Henry laughing slightly.

"Oh, you meant in the town. He is the therapist"

"So, you go the therapy?" Henry rolled his eyes slightly, looking up at the blonde.

"I am not crazy Emma"

"I never said you were kid. Tell me more about this fairy tale land" She knew dragging on his imagination could be unhealthy, but this seemed to be important to him so she was not about to drop the bomb on him that it wasn't all that normal.

"My mom is the Evil Queen. She is the one who cursed everyone" He said, his voice slightly bitter making Emma cringe. Clearly for him to think that she must have acted on the Evil Queen's behalf, making it sound like maybe she wasn't the nicest woman ever. They pulled up outside the house, Henry not too eager to get out the car.

"Henry come on, I get she is worried sick about you" She commented, Henry shaking his head.

"No you don't know what she is like" Emma frowned, climbing out the car and up the pathway to the large house, Henry sulking behind. The blonde jumped up when the door to the large mansion swung open, her feet stopping suddenly causing Henry to stumble behind her. The most beautiful woman appeared in the doorway, her short brunette hair bouncing at her shoulders, her face shining in the light from the house.

"Henry!" She called, Emma ushering Henry forward, not once taking her eyes off the woman before her.

"Thank you so much for bringing him home! I hope he never bothered you too much" A man standing not far behind the woman ushered Henry inside, Emma casting her eyes away to watching him run in and up the stairs. She shook her head, putting her hands in her pockets.

"He never bothered me at all. The drive was a bit of a drag though" She laughed slightly, the woman frowning.

"Drive? Where exactly from?"

"Boston, that's where he found me" Emma saw the recognition settle in his adoptive mothers' eyes, though they sunk slightly, causing her heart to throb.

"You're his birth mother" She sent the brunette a sideward smile, waving slightly before plunging her hand back in her pocket.

"Hi"


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so this chapter turned out a lot longer than I expected so I have cut it in half and this is the first installment. I will post the second half up sometime tomorrow night.**

 **I hope you enjoy this and don't forget to review!**

Emma come to an abrupt halt in the street, groaning out loud. She had been in Storybrooke for over 3 months and was under consent attack from Regina so to burn off some steam, she went for runs whenever she could, but due to her injuries, her leg sometimes played up for her. She felt the normal pain radiating down her thigh, sitting on the edge of the pavement to try and sooth it. She was used to the pain it brought her, but it never made it any easier to cope with. She thought about how she could get back to Mary Margaret's in the pain she was in, not noticing Regina coming up behind her.

/

Regina sighed as she took in the fresh air stepping outside her house. She was in desperate need for a long walk, needing to clear her head. Henry was resenting her because of her dislike towards Emma and with her contently hovering around she was starting to get extremely irritated. She exited her gate, her eyes wide when she spotted Emma further down the road, rolling them with a heavy sigh.

"Miss Swan" Emma froze, turning to look up at the brunette who was towering over her, a frown covering her ace.

"Madam Mayor"

"Is there any particular reason you are sitting outside my house?" Emma turned her head as far as her body would allow her to, cringing when she realized she was actually perched outside the woman's house.

"I erm- I didn't realize where I was" Regina grew increasingly impatient with the brief replies from the blonde, crossing her arms over her chest in annoyance.

"Miss Swan-" Before she could reply Emma butted in, looking away from the beading eye of her sons adoptive mother.

"I know, I look like I am begging for Henry or whatever. Once I can get hold of Mary Margaret to come and get me, I will be out of your hair" Regina was taken back slightly, the defeated tone in the blondes voice different as to what Regina had heard from her over the past 3 months. She went to bite back sarcastically then frowned at the woman's confession, tilting her head to the left slightly.

"Why are you waiting for Mary Margaret?" Again, the brunette watched the woman cringe. When she stayed silent, she studied the situation and realized Emma looked to be in a lot of pain and was holding her leg awkwardly.

"Are you alright?" Emma nodded, releasing a heavy sigh.

"I'll be fine" Regina was not stupid and she could clearly see there was something wrong with the blonde.

"Miss Swan I am not stupid, if this is some trick-"

"I have an old injury that is playing up alright? I went for a run and it must have triggered something" Emma couldn't make eye contact as she snapped back at the woman, instantly regretting it when she heard the small huff escape Regina's lips. She wouldn't have usually been so rude but, she was in so much pain she didn't care. Regina went to walk away but felt herself drawn back as she turned her head. She could clearly see how much pain the woman was in and it would be 'un-mayor like' of her to leave.

"Let me help you inside, you can elevate your leg better" She offered her hand, Emma freezing slightly.

"Regina really it's f-"

"No, I insist" Sighing at her persistent tone, Emma nodded and took Regina's slender hand, hissing slightly as she stood. She excepted Regina's help as she limped towards the house, Regina guiding her to the sofa where she sat down slowly. Making herself comfortable, she was shocked when she felt Regina lift her bad leg up, looking down to see a foot rest elevating her leg. She was surprises at the gesture but so grateful at the same time, it was soothing.

"This is going to sound strange but, you don't have any ice packs or anything do you? It's just, the heat my body was giving off probably made the injured muscle expand, so when it does that, I usually put some cold pressure on it to make the muscle contract again"

"Of course, i'll be right back" Emma smiled gratefully, waiting patiently for Regina to come back. She smiled and took the ice pack off the brunette, not paying attention to her sitting down on the chair opposite. She slowly lifted the leg to her running shorts to reveal her large scar, Regina's eyes widening in shock.

"Why, Miss Swan, that is quite the scar" She whispered, Emma nodding slightly, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, I don't really pay much attention to them" She realized her slip up but didn't say anything further and also didn't look up as to avoid Regina's concerned eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get such a scar? I only ask because, it isn't the most prettiest of marks and, I am after all Henry's mother and I am concerned of his knowledge into, certain things" Emma looked up, realizing Regina's concern. It mustn't be the most attractive of things to look at and as a concerned mother, it makes sense. She took a deep breath, leaning back slightly.

"I understand, but, if you could, I would really appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this to him. He brags about me being this 'saviour' and thinks I am some brave warrior but, I don't want him to know that I am probably the complete opposite" Regina nodded, leaning forward to show she was paying attention. She saw Emma's hesitation and, without thinking, reached forward to take her hand.

"Take your time Emma" The blonde looked up with wide eyes. It was a rare occasion that Regina called her by her first name, but she took it as an encouragement, nodding her head.

"When I was little..."


	4. Chapter 4

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it gives an insight into Emma's life before and even during the army! I have again, cut it into half because it turned out a lot longer than I wanted it to be, so we will see the flashback that starts at the end in the next chapter which I will upload tomorrow as it is already typed up!**

 **I hope you all enjoy and thank you so much for your reviews, they make me so happy!**

 **Don't forget to review!**

"When I was little, I had this dream. I wanted to meet the right person, get married, have kids, and raise them properly. I mean, I was abandoned on the side of a road and had been bounced around the system so much, I thought, if I could bring stability into someones life, I knew I had made it. I had 37 families over the course of 17 years, just under 4 a year. It sucked, and, I hated it. I hated my life the way it was. I just wanted someone to want me, for me. When I was 15, I was with this family and next door was another foster family with another 15 year old. She was in a similar position to me, had been abandoned when she was a baby, thrown around the system so we connected. At the time, I didn't know I was attracted to her, I thought it was just what it felt like to have a great friend, but it wasn't until we kissed that I knew it was something more. We talked about leaving the system when we were both 18, getting a city apartment, adopting a kid, giving it a good life. We even named out imaginary dog we wanted. It gave me hope for a better day. One night we were sitting on the grass looking at the stars and she told me she loved me and that I deserved the world. The next morning I knocked for her, and she had killed herself; overdosed on painkillers and a bottle of whiskey. It was the first time I had ever felt true heartache. I went on a downward spiral and the family sent me back- it was the longest family I had ever been with, but it was only because of her. I ran away when I was back in the system and never saw another foster family again" Emma stopped for a moment, the emotions of her childhood chocking her slightly. They were overwhelming. Regina was shocked to say the least but she stayed quiet, knowing that interruptions would get them nowhere. Emma needed to get this all out, she could tell.

"I was on the run and had nothing. A backpack full of a few things and that was it. No money, no food or resources. I was screwed. Some people on the streets taught me the ways of surviving. I wasn't going to do drugs so I opted for the easiest option- shoplifting. It sounds bad now but, when you have gone days without eating, sleeping on the doorstep of abandoned buildings, you get desperate. I wasn't a big league thief like some people I knew, just pieces of fruit from stalls, basic needs so I could brush my teeth, wash my hair in local park ponds, stuff like that. One day, I got caught taking a drink from a small corner shop and I ran. Spotted this little yellow buggie hidden away and thought it was my best escape. I had been taught how to hot wire a car from a boy in the foster system so in seconds I was driving away down the road. Then, this guy jumps up from the back seat and I realized I had stolen a car with the owner in it. The man you may ask, Henry's father" Regina was not expecting that. Not at all. Emma laughed slightly at her expression, nodding her head. Regina was so intrigued she wanted to know more. It was like she was listening to an author read their biography; their live bringing you suspense and tension, as if you lived it with them.

"I know what you are thinking, but it wasn't a one-night-stand or anything. We fell in love. I mean, I was a love struck teenager who was confused as to whether I liked boys or girls so, a street pigeon could have shown me some affection and I would have swooned instantly. I was a walking mess. He taught me the ways of the streets, we stole together, even managed to make enough money off selling food to rent an apartment for a week. We had a cold water shower, a single bed, it was like a 5* hotel to us. He even got a professional artist to do this for me" She paused and held out her wrist showing her small flower tattoo, smiling down at it.

"It's a Lyon flower. I used to trace them on cafe napkins and he thought it was fitting for a tattoo. One day, we saw a wanted sign up for him. He had been caught stealing expensive watches from a store up to $50,000 worth and panicked. He wanted to use the money off them to help us move away, but he didn't want to risk being caught and imprisoned. So, being the idiot I was, I offered to collect them so we could run away together. I did all he told me, and when I got them and headed out, I was cornered by the police. He had made an anonymous tip to the police and got me arrested" Regina gasped, pulling away from Emma's grip in disgust.

"That ass hole" She whispered, Emma laughing with a nod.

"Yup. He was an ass hole. He tricked me and left me in jail to rot. He must have felt pity on me because I got a letter with the keys to the buggie in so I had it when I got out but, that was the last I heard of him. I had somehow gotten myself pregnant, locked up in prison. I was not on the highroad at this time. While in prison, I had befriended a woman who was also pregnant, a few months ahead of me. She was determined to raised the baby herself and was sorting out an apartment with her councilor for when she was released. We planned together and I was following her lead so I could get out and raise the baby right. My councilor was sure I would make it so her optimism comforted me. One day, the other woman, got into a fight in the prison cafeteria and got herself so beat up she had to go for an emergency C-section. She was back in her cell 3 days later ad her baby was gone- in the system. I freaked out. If she had given up then maybe I couldn't do it after all, so I started sorting out adoption. I was not going to send the little guy into foster care so I wanted to make sure someone was willing to adopt him straight away- that's when they prison go the request for you. I heard you were well off in Maine and your statement sounded great so I signed the closed adoption papers and when Henry was born, I sent him to you. I don't think I have ever been so heartbroken. I mean, I knew he was going to be okay and your papers sounded great but, somewhere inside, I panicked and thought about you getting rid of him and such. I was told not to think like that but, with my background it was hard for me to not. I thought about him every day. Thought about how much I loved him, even if I didn't know him. But I did, and I do. I love him. The adoption doesn't change that. Anyway, I had gotten my release date and I had three options- working in a shop or a bar with a tag on, or joining the army. I took the army" Regina looked up suddenly, her eyes wide.

"You joined the army?" she whispered, Emma nodding slightly, looking away from the brunettes beading eyes.

"9 years in the service. It was the best and worst 9 years of my life. I met some of my closest friends while there"

"That is amazing Emma" Emma was shocked at how intrigued Regina was, but she wished it was actually amazing.

"It sounds it but, it wasn't all that good. I watched people die, people come back tortured and limbless. It was rough but, I don't know, it felt good knowing I was doing something right with my life for once"

"Why did you leave?"

"That is where the story starts to make sense. A few of our troops had been taken hostage by enemy fleets and we found the base and tried to free them and the civilians. We had been on a routine search of an abandoned patch of land a few good miles from our base. The sand and dust settled over the area gave out drones a bad quality image so we were sent out to investigate..."


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay so this is the flashback you have all been dying to see- the flashback that shows what actually happened building up to Emma being taken to the hospital. I hope you all enjoy and as always, don't forget to review!**

"...A few of our troops had been taken hostage by enemy fleets and we found the base and tried to free them and the civilians. We had been on a routine search of an abandoned patch of land a few good miles from our base. The sand and dust settled over the area gave out drones a bad quality image so we were sent out to investigate..."

 _"This_ dust _is bad for my lungs" August complained, Lucy giggling behind him, Emma rolling her eyes as she fixed her riffle over her shoulder._

 _"You say that every time we leave base. We have been here for 9 years August when are you going to get used to it?"_

 _"He never will Em, he is a man with no balls" Lucy shot back, August smacking her arm, the two breaking out into a small cat fight, Emma hushing them suddenly._

 _"Will you two shut up! I can see something ahead" They all fell silent, approaching the edge of a nearby cliff that looked down to a small base, Emma's eyes wide as they ducked behind a bolder._

 _"Look at the flag- they aren't friendlies" August whispered, Emma gulping loudly._

 _"What do we do, do we go back to base?" Lucy asked, Emma looking around as best she could through the dust made mist and jumped, hitting Lucy's arm._

 _"Guys look! It's our missing jeep!" The two felt their jaws drop as they realized what they had to do. They had to go and investigate._

 _"It looks dead, we need to do a quick scoop and then go right back to base. It won't take 20 minutes" Lucy nodded, taking the lead as they slowly made their way down the road to the base, August behind her, Emma at the back. They searched the first few tents, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, thinking it was a waste when suddenly Lucy pulled back the cover to a larger gazebo, shocked at what she found. it was full of maybe 60 people tied up and gagged to poles, August's eyes wide._

 _"Lucas!" He shouted, running up to one of their own who had gone missing a few weeks prior, taking the gag off._

 _"Boy are we glad to see you guys" He whispered, his British accent radiating through the silence._

 _"We are going to get you all out of here. August, help me untie them, Emma stand guard. Lucas, what happened?" Lucy and August started freeing people while Emma stood guard, listening as Lucas explained what happened to them all._

 _"We were coming back from the town and we were ambushed. These guys are good- they come out of nowhere. Someone knocked us out and drove the jeep here. These people have been kidnapped from the town center" Once he was free he started helping as did other troops who were released._

 _"Guys, there are trucks coming ahead" Emma called out, Lucy and August picking up their pace._

 _"Lucas how many ways out are there?"_

 _"The one you guys come in from. If we head out back the dessert goes on for miles, who knows where we will end up. We need to get out the way we came otherwise we are going to head right into their territory" They were all free and they were ready to make a run for it when suddenly gunfire erupted from before them, everyone screaming in terror, the three armed soldiers firing at any direction._

 _"I can't see anything" August cried out, Emma thinking on her toes as she grabbed a grenade, pushing in the button._

 _"Everyone duck!" She screamed, throwing the device into the air, watching in pleasure as it took out one entire side of the gunfire, but the other side was their escape route, and they only brought one grenade with them._

 _"What now?" Lucy shouted, Emma continuing to fire into the mist, her heart skipping a beat as she saw a grenade similar to her's come out. She turned to the others for a moment, her voice breaking as she shouted._

 _"I love you guys" Lucy not realizing what she had said until it was too late. She caught the grenade and ran straight at the gunfire, Lucy holding August back as he cried, trying to go after her. Moments later the grenade exploded, Lucy and August freezing in horror as they watched Emma's body fly backwards, landing harshly on the sandy ground, not moving, blood dying the dusty ground a dark red._

 _"Emma!" Lucy cried, them being hushed by Lucas who came up behind them._

 _"Listen- the gunfire. We need to go now! James, help me get Emma" He ran to the blonde, sighing heavily as he spotted the rise and fall of her chest, nodding._

 _"Thank you Emma- She is alive guys! I need you to get everyone out, we have her" Lucy and August guided everyone out, nobody bothering to walk as everybody broke out into a sprint, James and Lucas running as fast as they could, the injured Emma cradled safely in both their arms._

 _"She saved us all" Lucas whispered, James nodding his head._

 _"She did indeed" The journey seemed longer than it actually was, August running ahead to base._

 _"We need to prepare the helicopter to airlift us to the hospital now! Swan is down!" Everything seemed to speed up as everyone jumped into action, Lucy leading the group they had saved to the hospital tent while Lucas and James lowered the unconscious Emma onto a gurney, August letting out a chocked sob as he took her in._

 _"Don't you dare die on me Emma. You promised it would be us three till the end, you can't die on us now!" He whispered, looking up when the helicopter started up._

 _"If you are coming, you need to come now!" Someone told him, Lucy running up to him, their weapons and gear discarded on the floor as they climbed in and strapped up. August looked to Lucy who was whispering to herself, tears streaming down her cheek when he took her hand._

 _"She is going to be okay, she is going to be okay"_

Emma's face was vacant as she recalled the event to Regina who at some point had started crying silently, her hand reaching out to take Emma's snapping her out of her haze. She shook her head slightly, clearing her throat

"I woke up God know's how many hours later and was told that my injuries were too severe and I couldn't go back into the forces. I was discharged on honorable terms and with a reward to keep me going" Regina didn't know what to say. All these months she had been resenting the blonde but in reality, she was a hero. She didn't know why she wouldn't want to tell Henry because it's something to boast about, it was an amazing achievement.

"Emma, I don't know what to say" She whispered, Emma looking up at her. The tone in her voice had completely shifted. The impatience and temper had completely faded away, now all she could hear was understanding and compassion. It was comforting.

"There isn't really much to say I guess. I just, I'm sorry if I completely bombarded you today" She caught sight of the time, realizing she had been there for a hell of a lot longer than she had intended and it was almost time for Henry to come home. She was surprised he hadn't shown up sooner.

"No it's fine! I am glad you opened up to me about this Emma" She admitted, Emma smiling.

"Thank you for listening. I don't really talk about it with anyone besides August and Lucy"

"It was my pleasure. I know this is sudden but, can I invite you to stay for dinner? I would be happy to let you freshen up here and I can lend you some clothes if you like. and I know Henry would love it" Emma was taken back slightly, unsure of what to say in the moment. It was strange for Regina to be so warm around her. She had only ever heard her use the tone on Henry so, she wasn't sure how to take it.

"Sure, that would be great" She eventually agreed, Regina helping her stand, showing her to the spare room.

"The bathroom is just through that door and I'll leave the clothes in here for you. I'll start preparing dinner" Regina left Emma to shower, the woman content as she went back into the bedroom, spotting a pair of jeans and blouse on the bed laid out neatly for her. She stopped as the image of Regina where jeans took over her mind, shaking the image out as she sighed happily, getting changed. She also spotted a hair dryer and brush left out for her, Regina being quite the hostess. Once she was happy with her appearance and her hair was dry, she followed the lovely smell of food to the kitchen, standing in the doorway watching Regina. The woman had turned the radio on and was singing quietly to herself as she cooked, her hips swaying from side to side happily.

"You are quite the cook" Emma said, Regina jumping slightly.

"That blouse looks lovely on you!" She complimented, Emma laughing slightly.

"Thank you! I'll make sure to get it back to you as soon as possible" Regina tutted, turning back to the frying pan.

"Please take a seat Emma, can I get you a drink?"

"Some of that famous apple cider would go down nicely" Regina nodded, making up two glasses. She cringed as the fingered the poisonous apple, putting back into storage, grabbing two other apples.

"What are we having?" Emma turned when she heard Henry's voice through the hall, the small kid stopping short when he spotted Emma sitting at the dinner table.

"Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Your mom asked me to stay for dinner- I hope that's okay?" She cringed at his face, realizing she had implied she had been here beforehand.

"Of course! I'm glad you're here" He came to her wide, hugging her, Emma sighing happily.

"Getting close to the enemy! Nice one Mom! He whispered happily down her ear before pulling away, Emma frowning as he sat down.

"Here you go Emma! Henry, would you like some milk with your dinner?"

"Yes please mom" He sat with the biggest grin on his face, watching as Regina cooked, Emma staring at him. What did he mean by that comment? She knew he thought Regina was the evil queen but, in the time she had been here, Regina had only been good to her. Surely she wasn't that bad to Henry, it just didn't make sense. She would have to talk with him properly, but for the meantime she was going to enjoy her time with her son and Regina. Things were turning around very nicely for her, and she was going to take it all in with as much as she could.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry it has been a while since I have updated this- I have had a rough few weeks and I am trying to get into the swing of things again.**

 **Don't forget to review :)**

As the months passed, Emma felt her and Regina growing closer. It was more than a friendship bond, and both the blonde and brunette knew that, but both were not going to openly admit their feelings to one another, especially with a certain young boy fighting his fantasies. He was still adamant that Emma was only getting close to Regina to break the curs, and as much as he openly confessed this, Regina knew that it was not the case. She watched as Emma walked down the pathway with her son, dropping him off from school like she did every Tuesday, but this day was different. She could see the change in their stance, how he walked slightly ahead of her, how she struggled to keep up with him. She could see how Emma's leg was paining her, but that was not the only pain she saw on her face; she also saw heartbreak. Regina opened the door as Henry reached it, Emma coming up to his side.

"Is everything okay?" Regina's voice was full of concern, which as per usual, Henry blew off.

"What did you say to her? Why is she leaving?" Regina's eyes snapped up to meet Emma's who was begging her to not take his words to heart- clearly there was another part of the story she was missing. Henry stormed up to his room, Emma sighing heavily, running her hand through her hair.

"I got a call from August, Lucy and Jackson earlier on. They had all been given a week break from their service and when they went to my apartment to surprise me, they found an empty place with months of post building up. I hadn't planned on staying here so I never informed them and whenever they called, I never brought it up. I was going to take a trip home and see them, and then come straight back, but of course I didn't tell him the reason for me leaving so he thinks the 'evil queen' talked me out of town." Regina nodded, completely understanding the situation. She knew Emma wouldn't leave permanently but with Henry not knowing of her past, it was hard to explain where she was going and why.

"Why don't you take him with you?" Emma was shocked at the sudden question, Emma pulling back from their close stance slightly.

"Are you serious? You would let me?"

"Of course! You're his mother as well and I trust you. It might be good for him, to find out who you really are." Maybe she was right, maybe he would come to understand her disbelieve in fairytales more if he knew of what her life used to be like, and a week away might be good for him.

"Regina this might actually do this trick, thank you so much!" She happily embraced the woman before heading up to Henry, Regina lingering in the hold, even after the blonde had taken off up her winding stairs.

* * *

Emma reached Henry, knocking on the door, the lack of response making her roll her eyes. She pushed the door open, Henry sitting on his windowsill looking out the window thoughtfully. Emma opened her mouth to speak then stopped, spotting a small suitcase in the corner of his room. She grabbed it and threw it on the bed, unzipping it, watching as Henry watched her out of the corner of her eye.

"What are you doing?" He asked slowly, Emma going through his wardrobe.

"You are coming come with me." She told him bluntly, Henry's head shaking frantically.

"No Emma don't you understand? Nobody can leave!"

"It isn't technically leaving though. If we have the intention to come back, we are just, nipping out for a week. And you don't believe me that this was not your mom's idea so, come with me. Find out why I am going home for a week then we come right back." Henry stopped and thought for a moment, Emma turning to look at him, her eyes softening. She approached him, kneeling down, the pain in her thigh increasing but she ignored it, grabbing his hands.

"Listen to me Henry, I have hidden something about myself from you, and I want to open up, and this is the best opportunity to do that, but I need you to trust me." He sighed and nodded, dropping her hands so he could pack.

"So, have you been lying to me?" He asked quietly, Emma shaking her head.

"No Henry, I just haven't told you yet. I promise, I would never lie to you- ever." Believing her heartfelt confession, he nodded and continued packing, making sure he had enough clothes, pyjamas and activities for the week before zipping his case up and allowing Emma to carry it down. Regina was in the kitchen, Emma sniffing up happily as the scent of Regina's homemade cookies filled the air.

"A road trip is not a road trip with snacks!" She expressed, pointing in the oven to show half baked cookies, Emma grinning.

"I love your cookies." She commented, Henry nodding in agreement.

"Me too!"

"So, are you excited about your trip?" Regina asked, Henry nodding as he filled his mouth with a spoonful of unbaked cookie-dough from Regina's cooking bowl.

"Emma is going to tell me something, aren't you?"

"I believe so. You won't be disappointed." Regina commented, Emma rolling her eyes at the brunette, Henry watching the two interact carefully.

"It isn't that big Henry, ignore your mother." Emma stated, ruffling his hair making him laugh slightly, Regina scoffing.

"Try telling me that when you get home and he won't shut up about it." Henry was shocked that his mother knew of the mystery behind Emma, reminding himself to question his other mother on the topic during their trip. Once the cookies were baked, Regina stored them in a container, passing it to Henry as Emma took his suitcase.

"Have fun, be good for your mom." Regina kissing Henry who in return half hugged her as he headed to the yellow buggy outside the house, Emma turning to Regina, looking at her happily.

"Thank you again for letting me take him. I will keep you updated the entire time." Regina grabbed her shoulder, squeezing it softly.

"Just have fun. I will see you when you get home." Emma nodded, Regina watched as she headed down the pathway and out of sight. Sighing, she shut the door over, looking around the quiet household in thought. Before she got Henry and she was alone like she was now, she would have called Graham over, but the need for hook ups was not in her heart anymore. The void was filled.

* * *

Once Emma was packed, her and Henry bid Mary Margaret goodbye and headed out of town. Emma noticed Henry tense next to her as they approached the town boarder, but with a straight back and high shoulders, she drove straight out, Henry prying open his suddenly closed eyes in surprise.

"I told you, we aren't breaking any rules, just bending them slightly for a week." He nodded, relaxing in the chair, Emma taking a deep breath, knowing it was time.

"So, I bet you want in on this big secret don't you?" Henry looked to his mother eagerly, nodding his head.

"Okay, it all starts when I was little..."


	7. Chapter 7

Henry had endless questions about Emma's time in the forces, his ramblings lasting a good 3 hours before he finally crashed out on the back seat after stopping off for food. Emma watched through her rear-view mirror as he slept, glad that the conversation had gone well. She had expected it to go another way, him taking offence in her not telling him; him being ashamed of the army being her only way out, but instead he was amazed, she was his new hero, and she felt herself fill with pride at the statement. _You're a real life hero, my very own real life hero!_ She finally arrived outside her old apartment, already spotting the familiar car of Jackson in her parking space. She parked in the guest one, making her laugh which stirred Henry who sat up groggily.

"Hey sleepy head, we're here." She said, Henry yawning, climbing out to stretch.

"Finally! Your car seat is not comfy." The 10 year old groaned, Emma rolling her eyes at him.

"Come on, grab my duffel bag and I'll get your suitcase." He nodded and took hold of her light bag. She didn't need to bring much considering she still had things in her apartment, having not brought all her clothes and such when she came to Storybrooke, her intention not on staying, which hadn't worked out for her obviously as it was coming up to over half a year and she was not planning on leaving any time soon. Henry lead the way, remembering the floor from when he came, Emma trailing behind. Knocking on the door, Henry was surprised when a tall, well built man opened the door, looking to Emma who had just come up the stairs.

"You must be Henry!" The man expressed happily, Emma smiling, recognising the voice.

"Jackson!" She dropped Henry's suitcase, wrapping the man up in a hug, Henry standing on the sidelines awkwardly, watching them interact.

"It's so good to see you! So, is this your man?" He nodded to Henry who smiled slightly, Emma nodding.

"Henry, this is Jackson, remember the man I told you about?" He nodded, holding out his hand for Jackson to shake, his grip firm on Henry's small hand.

"It's great to meet you Henry! Come on in, August and Lucy are really looking forward to meeting you." He ushered the two in, grabbing the suitcase and bag, following them in. Henry was greeted by another man and a woman in the living area, the two standing.

"You guys are here! I'm August, you must be Henry." August expressed happily, hand shakes going around, Lucy hugging Emma happily.

"I have missed you." August cooed as he embraced Emma, Henry glad to see his mother happy, clearly seeing that her friends were a main factor in who she was today.

"I have missed you all too. I'm sorry I never warned you about not being here, I thought your next break was in a few months."

"We wanted to surprise you, but you are here now so we cannot complain! And we are so glad you brought Henry!" Lucy expressed, skipping the handshake, going straight to hugging the boy who laughed.

"Henry, I'm going to go and call your mom, do you want to speak to her?" Emma asked, picking up their things to take into the bedroom.

"No it's okay." He never batter an eyelash and dove into conversation with her friends, Emma rolling her eyes, going into her bedroom, sitting on the bed she had to admit she had missed dearly.

 _"Mayor Mills."_

"Hey Regina it's me."

 _"Oh Emma! Hi, is everything okay? Is Henry okay?"_

"Yeah we are both fine, I just wanted to let you know we got here okay. Henry has settled in nice with them all."

 _"Sounds just like him. I'm glad you both arrived safely. I'll leave you two to enjoy the week."_

"Thank you again Regina, I owe you one. See you in a week!" The two bid farewell, Emma hanging up, lingering on the sound of the brunettes voice for slightly longer than necessary before heading back into the living area, watching from the doorway as her son and her friends interacted. Henry was chattering about how he hunted down Emma, Jackson a lot more interested in how a 10 year old had done such a thing, while August focused on Emma more. She stared happily at Henry, but he could see something else in her eyes which he would question her on later. 3 hours passed and Emma knew it was way past Henry's bedtime and decided that it was time for him to crash. She made sure he was settled in bed before heading back to her friends, picking up her wine glass, sitting down on her couch, closing her eyes happily. The silence was eerie, her left eye prying open to see all eyes on her, the blonde sitting back up.

"What?" She asked, Jackson raising his eyebrows at her.

"You are incredibly happy."

"These past few months have been great, having him in my life makes me happy." She stated, knowing that it was not a lie. Henry had brought a new light into her life and she was incredibly happy with having him, even if it was 10 years too late.

"There is something else, I saw it in your eyes earlier. Have you met someone?" Emma scoffed, leaning back on the couch making Lucy laugh.

"Did you hear that, she _has_ met someone!"

"Oh come on guys, you are all grasping at straws."

"Really? We saw how Henry reacted when you asked to call his mom, so clearly the phone-call was not for him- it was for _you._ " Emma just rolled her eyes, her silence confirming their suspicions.

"Didn't I tell you. So, tell us all about her." August queried, Emma looking at the door Henry was behind, them all frowning.

"Okay there is something you are hiding, what is going on?" Jackson pressed, Emma motioning for them to lower their voices, leaning forward so they would still hear her.

"Henry thinks his mom is the evil queen."

"I thought my mom was an evil queen as well, what is your point?" Lucy commented, Emma shaking her head.

"No, he thinks she is the actual evil queen. Like, the evil queen who gave Snow White a poisonous apple." August frowned, shaking his head slightly.

"I don't understand, Snow White is a fairy tale."

"He has this storybook, and he thinks that Storybrooke is a cursed town where all the characters in his book have been sentenced to live forever. His mom is the one who cast the curse, the evil queen."

"He really believes that?"

"More than you think." Emma yawned loudly, realising that it was well passed 12am and she had been awake all day.

"I am going to crash. Please don't say anything to Henry about this." They nodded, watching as she went to bed.

"That is a pretty powerful fantasy for a 10 year old, I wonder what made him think that?" Jackson wondered, Lucy nodding along.

"I know, I mean believing in them is one thing, but casting it out like that, makes you wonder whats going on in his head." They all jumped when a door opened, smiling at Henry who walked out of the spare bedroom, rubbing his eyes.

"Hey Henry! Are you okay?" August asked, Henry nodding.

"I couldn't sleep. Is my mom still awake?"

"She just went to bed sweetie, do you want me to get her?"

"No it's okay. Can I sit in here for a bit."

"Of course! Do you have any stories you want us to read you or anything?" Lucy smirked slightly at Jackson's tactics, August sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed next to the young boy.

"I have a storybook, but I don't think you are ready for it."

"Really? I bet you we are. We are all very open minded Henry." Lucy commenting, him nodding slowly before climbing off the couch, running into the bedroom. He come back out with a very large book, their jaws dropping.

"That is a big book Henry!" August expressed, Henry laughing.

"It's not just a book, its a reality."

"A reality? What do you mean?" Lucy wondered. They all placed themselves in a circle on the floor, Henry putting the book in the middle of them.

"This book is the tales of loads of different people. Snow White, Prince Charming, Rumpelstiltskin, the evil queen, the seven dwarfs, red riding hood- loads of people! The evil queen cast a curse over everyone and sent them to this world to live forever on a never ending loop where people don't age, and they stay frozen in time. The characters are people who live in Storybrooke with me." He explained, them all flicking through the book, the tales not the classics they all knew.

"These stories are amazing! They are nothing like the ones I know." Lucy exclaimed, Henry nodding his head along with them as he watched them indulge in his book.

"It's because they aren't the normal ones, they are what really happened. Look at this-"He grabbed his backpack from behind the sofa and pulled out a plastic wallet with pictures in, him spilling them out over the floor. He held up a picture of him and Mary-Margaret that Emma had taken, placing it down next to a page where Snow White was standing in the middle of the forest.

"This is my teacher, her name is Mar-Margaret Blanchard. She is actually Snow White." They were all shocked at the resemblance between the fictional character and his teacher, but still, it was a coincidence, right? He pulled out another picture of David from when he was a John Doe in the hospital, going to the end chapter where Prince Charming was fighting to save Emma and put her in the wardrobe.

"This is David. He was in a coma until, Mary-Margaret woke him up by reading to him. He was in a coma because he was already half dead before the curse hit."

"Oh my God." Lucy whispered, the pictures definitely of the same person, even if one was animated it was uncanny how much they were alike.

"Let me see more Henry." August asked, Henry gathering pictures and linking them with the characters in the book. They watched as he linked up a man called Leroy with one of the seven dwarfs, grumpy, and a handy man called Marco with Geppetto.

"He doesn't look like him later on in the book, but Archie, the therapist in our town, he is Jiminy Cricket." The three were silenced by the accuracy in the little kids story, Jackson shocked at how much he was actually buying this.

"Okay, so, your mom, Emma, where does she play into all of this?" He asked, knowing he hadn't spotted a character like her yet.

"She is the saviour." He spoke to confidently, it was hard not to listen to his tales.

"The saviour? Can you elaborate?"

"See, at the end of the book, Snow White and Charming have a child, who Rumpelstiltskin prophesied to be sent to this world and return on her 28th birthday to save them all. Emma was sent through the wardrobe just after she was born and I found her on her 28th and brought her to Storybrooke. That night when we turned up, the clock in our town, it moved for the very first time ever." He went to the end page which was a picture of Emma in the wardrobe, August's eyes widening.

"Is that, a blanket?" Lucy frowned, looking at the picture, the same realisation hitting her, the woman scrambling to grab her phone. She hovered it over the image and snapped a picture, zooming in on her phone, a small laugh escaping her mouth.

"Well I'll be damned." She whispered, Jackson snatching the phone off her, his eyes wide.

"No way." He breathed, shaking his head. Henry was looking between the silenced three, his hairs standing on edge.

"What is it? What did you see?" He asked eagerly, bouncing on her knees.

"Henry, has your mother shown you her baby blanket? She was found in it and it's one of her treasured possessions because its the only thing that links her to her parents."

"Yeah, it's got her name on it, right?"

"Right. At first glance, this just looks like some plain blanket, but look-"Lucy handed the phone to the young boy, his eyes widening, the excitement causing him to stand.

"I was right! I knew I wasn't crazy!" He cheered, the three sharing a look of pure shock.

"Henry, how about we take a trip to Storybrooke with you before we go back. I don't know about you two, but I am eager to see this town for myself."


	8. Chapter 8

Emma woke up the next morning, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she walked into the living area, shocked to see Henry sleeping in the middle of Lucy, Jackson and August on the floor. She stood watching them, wondering why Henry was not in bed and how they all ended up asleep on the floor. She quietly tottered around the kitchen making coffee for her friends, frying up a full breakfast for everyone. The smell of sizzling bacon brought the unconscious four to their senses, Henry sitting up right away, his eyes wide.

"Bacon?" Emma nodded with a laugh, him scrambling up from his position, launching himself at the table, sitting patiently for the food to be cooked.

"Hm coffee." August hummed happily, Emma watching as the three joined Henry at the table. Jackson clicked his back with a grunt, Emma passing out coffee's and an orange juice for Henry.

"Sore back Jackson?" Emma mused, Jackson rolling his eyes as he sat back down.

"I'm fine." He grumbled, August giggling as he sipped at his coffee.

"Well y back would be sore if I slept on the floor all night. She continued, everyone sharing a look, Henry grinning.

"We had fun." He commented, Emma setting the food out, everyone diving in as she sat down with hers next to Henry.

"Really, what did you do?"

"He told us about were he lives. Storybrooke, right?" Lucy said, chewing on her toast as she watched Emma.

"Yeah, looks like a cool place. We were thinking of visiting." August continued, Emma frowning.

"On your next break?"

"Or this one? I mean we still have 6 days left before we have to be back, it'll be fun." Jackson stated, Emma's jaw dropping.

"So, you all want to come to Storybrooke... now?"

"Well, if you insist! Come on let's get ready." They all left the table in sync, leaving Emma gobsmacked at the table. It was less then 5 minutes and a clear away that they were all in the living area changed and with their bags, Emma, crossing her arms as she stared at them. Henry was still getting his suitcase so she approached her friends, staring them down.

"Okay, how come you are all so eager to come to Storybrooke?"

"Henry has intrigued us." Lucy said with a grin, Emma shaking her head.

"There is something else- the town is not that interesting." They all shrugged, Emma's eyes narrowing. She walked away and got changed, grabbing some more clothes and things to take back, knowing it was going to be a while until she comes back again.

"Mom! Are you ready?" She heard Henry call, sighing as she heaved her bag back out of her room, turning the light off.

"Yup. Okay so, are we all fitting in my car?" She asked, Jackson letting out a bellow of a laugh.

"No offence Emma, I wouldn't spend more than 5 minutes in that death trap." Everyone nodded along, Emma rolling her eyes.

"Okay, well, am I driving alone?"

"I'll stay with you mom." Henry said, August jumping in.

"I will as well." Everyone agreed on the arrangements, Emma saying goodbye to her apartment once again as they headed to their cars.

"Okay, follow me and try not to get lost!" Emma mocked, Jackson rolling his eyes.

"I'll try not to." They separated, August and Henry in the back of the bug, Emma alone in the front. They set off, August leaning forward to watch Emma, her smile making him giggle.

"What are you giggling at?" She laughed, August sighing happily as the memories filled his head.

"I was just thinking of one of the breaks we had a few years into the service. Remember? We drove to New York?" Emma laughed along with him, nodding her head.

"That was one of the best breaks we had- we were hungover for the entire 2 weeks we had off." Henry frowned, sitting forward as well.

"Why was it the best?"

"Well..." Emma looked at August who retold the story, it being one of his favourites.

 _The three had been granted a two week leave, Jackson joining them in the second week as he had troops to train. They drove from Washington all the way to New York, the drive taking just under 3 days. They had the option to fly and kill some time but they felt like the drive, having been stuck in a dessert base for six months. The fresh air would be good for them. They arrived in New York, getting rid of their bags in the room they had booked out in a hotel, standing on the street, looking around at everything in awe._

 _"So, what should we do first?" Emma asked, Lucy grinning as she grabbed both of her friend's hands, heading straight to a pub across the road. They spent hours on end drinking, then sleeping and then drinking again, taking in the time they had off. Half of the trip was puzzled as their memories are scattered but it made it all the more memorable, the times the can remember being some of the best. When Jackson joined them their trip was centred more around tourist attractions and movie nights, but they went out with a bang, spending the last two days drinking none-stop. It was amazing._

"Your mother can not half drink Henry!" August exclaimed, Emma smacking his arm as they sat in the traffic jam.

"Not what I want my son to think of me, thank you August." Henry laughed, eager to hear more on his mother.

"What is the worst story you have on her?" August felt his grin grow, Emma groaning, smacking her head off the wheel.

"Please don't tell the story." She begged, August clearing his throat, Emma burying her head in her jacket.

"When we were in New York, your mother was rotten drunk while we were all sobering down, and decided to go for a walk at 3 o'clock in the morning. She had a burger in one hand, a milkshake in the other and was loving her life. Due to her being so drunk, she was not that coordinated while walking and kept tripping herself up resulting in both her burger and milkshake falling to the floor. She then sat on the floor for a good, I would say, 20 minutes, crying and shouting at the floor for killing her food and that she was going to call the police. We had to take her phone off her for a good three hours because she wanted to claim murder on the floor." Henry laughed endlessly, tears streaming out his eyes as he clutched his side, August joining him in the laughter, Emma shaking her head as she carried on driving.

"I hate you so much August." She complained, though she couldn't help but smile at how entertained Henry was. His laugh was very contagious. The drive went on with many tales be shared around, them coming to the entrance to Storybrooke, Henry sitting on the edge of his seat.

"We are here!"


	9. Chapter 9

**It has been a while I am sorry! This is short and sweet but soon the story is going to be twisted in many ways so be prepared to a roller coaster of a ride.**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

They entered the town fine, driving through into the main square where Emma pulled over, Jackson doing the same.

"4.50? That's really late!" Lucy complained, wondering why the drive had taken longer than it should have. Emma rolled her eyes, pulling out her phone.

"It's only 1.30." Henry perked up when he jumped out the car, a stupid grin on his face.

"I'm pretty sure it was 4.50 when we left the other day." Jackson and August shared a look, Emma again, rolling her eyes.

"I am going to go and get you all a room at Granny's. Jackson-" She ushered him to follow, Henry walking around, the feeling of being back home comforting to him. He had been silently worrying about repercussions from leaving but everything seemed to be normal.

"It's strange to think this place is actually not real." Lucy stated as she sat on a bench on the pavement, August looking up at the clock-tower in awe.

"It is real though, it's real because of magic." She commented gleefully. It amazed them to actually be here, to fall more in love with the idea of magic.

"It's amazing what it can do." Henry stated, them both nodding. They waited for Emma and Jackson to come back, Emma handing them each a key.

"Granny was happy with the business." Emma told Henry with a smirk, Henry laughing knowing that nobody ever came in or out so Granny's B&B was near to dead everyday.

"Okay, let's go and let your mum we are home shall we." They noticed him withdraw as he nodded, them all deciding to walk, the three newbies getting a feel for the town.

"It is actually amazing here." Lucy cooed, the small town beautiful to their eyes, considering they hardly ever saw much of anything while serving. They turned the corner into Henry's street, Emma watching her friend's jaws drop as they approached Henry's house. Emma walked ahead of them, Jackson crouching down to Henry's level.

"This is your house?"

"The evil queen wasn't going to live anywhere boring was she? She made herself mayor as well." It made sense, why would the evil queen cast a curse and make her life boring and innocent in the new world. It was understandable that she would want to stick out, even if nobody knew who she really was. The three stayed back as they didn't want to impose, though they secretly kept their eyes on Emma and how she interacted with her clear love interest. They watched as a tall short haired brunette opened the door, a smile spreading across her face.

"Henry! Emma! What are you both doing back so soon?" She embraced Henry happily, everyone noticing how she went to do the same to Emma, withdrawing awkwardly.

"My friends were eager to see where I was now residing so we took a road trip. They are only here for a few days so I thought, why not? I thought it's be a ice surprise for you to see Henry early that is why I never called."

"I'm glad you are both back." She hugged Henry again before walking toward the observant three, holding her hand out gracefully.

"Mayor Mills, but please, call me Regina. I have heard amazing things about you all." They all took turns to shake her hand, Lucy being first to reply.

"I'm Lucy, it's nice to meet you Regina."

"Jackson, I hope Emma doesn't bore you too much with details on us."

"Oh please, we are the most entertaining people to hear about. August, thank you for having us!" Regina grinned, holding her arms out to invite them in.

"Please come in, you must stay for dinner." They accepted happily, Emma sending them all a look to die it down, August rolling his eyes are his strolled past, Emma face palming with a quiet groan. She guided Henry in, shutting the door over. They all watched Regina totter around the kitchen before settling down with drinks and food at the dining table. They all fell into conversation, Regina eager to learn more about the blonde she was silently falling more intrigued with.

"Emma has an amazing singing voice! Like, she always beat the hell out of anyone at karaoke back at base. She has talent." Lucy commented happily, sipping away at the apple cider Regina had made up for them. She had noticed small things that linked the woman to the evil queen, the amount of apples dotting around being one of them. Another way the amount of mirrors around the house- there was one around almost ever corner in the house.

"No way! Emma you never told me you could sing!" Emma blushed, sending Lucy a glare.

"She is being over-dramatic. I cannot sing." Jackson scoffed, Emma smacking his arm as he was sitting besides her.

"She is being modest Regina, trust me!" Regina grinned, them all laughing and joking as they dispersed from the kitchen to the living area. Regina insisted on Henry going to bed past a certain point, them all reluctantly saying goodnight, all talking and learning new things until early in the morning. They had all settled down to watch a film, Regina watching Emma in a trance from one side of the room, the others trying not to make it obvious they had noticed her entrancement on her. It was clear to two had something going, but their main concern was how Henry would react to this and what would happen when Emma found out the true meaning to her being here.


	10. Chapter 10

**I am sorry for the delayed updates on all my stories. I have not had the best few weeks and my motivation to update has been lacking, but I am slowly getting back into it. For those who read my other stories, updates will follow/have already been done.**

 **This is actually my last to update today so if you are fans of my stories Time or Secrets and Regrets you should totally check out the new chapters I put up. Also, for those who are interested I do have another story with a few chapters done which I was considering posting and wanted to hear opinions on whether I should or not. It is a final battle rewrite and will be SQ endgame for those who are interested. I will admit I love the first few chapters done so if you all want to see what I have in store, drop me a message in the reviews and I will post it either today or tomorrow.**

 **Don't forget to review! Thank you for your patience guys. Much love.**

After spending a few days at Storybrooke gathering evidence with Henry, it was time for Lucy, August and Jackson to head back out.

"Promise you will write as much as possible?" Henry asked sadly, them all nodding, having added his email to their address books so they could keep in touch secretly without Emma's knowledge.

"Of course Henry! We want to be updated as much as possible." He grinned, knowing they had been a huge help in helping him solidify his theory. Emma came up to them all, hugging each of her friends.

"I am going to miss you guys, again!" She complained, Lucy wrapping her arm around the blonde's shoulder.

"The next few months will go by fast we promise! We will be back before you know it."

"We want all the details of your secret love affair." August whispered, Emma smacking his arm.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She whispered back, pushing her two sniggering friends away. She was approached by Jackson who gave her one last hug.

"Look after yourself out there okay?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes making her laugh.

"Of course we will. We will see you soon." Regina, Emma, Henry all stood and waved them off as they drove out of town, Emma sighing heavily.

"Come on kid, let's get you to school." After dropping Henry off, Emma and Regina picked up a coffee before Emma headed to the station. Regina picked at her fingernails nervously as she strolled alongside the blonde, Emma noticing how quiet she was being.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering if I could ask you something?" She cringed at how fast her sentence flew out of her mouth, Emma smiling as she stopped them at the side of the road.

"Slow down okay, what is going on?" Taking a deep breath, Regina met Emma's eyes, them sparkling in the sunlight making Emma's knees weak.

"I was wondering if you would go out for dinner with me tonight?" The widest grin spread across Emma's face, her head reacting before her mouth, it moving up and down enthusiastically.

"Of course I will. I would love to Regina!" With a smile, the brunette nodded, them carrying on with their walk. They stopped outside the station, Regina taking Emma's hand slightly in her own.

"I will pick you up from Mary Margaret's at 7?"

"What about Henry?"

"I will tell him I have a meeting, we won't be longer than 2 or 3 hours and he is always good when I find some new game to entertain him." Nodding, the two dispersed, Emma going to work while Regina headed to her office. Emma felt her mind wandering all day, the thought of going on a date with Regina exhilarating. The day flew by, Emma running to Mary Margaret's to get ready.

"You seem excited, where are you off tonight?" Emma grinned happily as she danced around the apartment in her sports bra and shorts, her hair in tight curls, her make-up light and perfect.

"If I tell you, you have to swear to keep it a secret." Mary Margaret grinned with curiosity, knowing it was only fair due to Emma keeping her affair with David a secret.

"Do tell." She whispered, Emma stopping in front of her, biting down on her tongue nervously before whispering back,

"I have a date with a certain mayor." She carried on dancing, Mary Margaret shocked to say the least.

"Wait so, Regina is- you know?" Emma shrugged, unable to keep herself still as she talked.

"I don't know if she is gay like me or bisexual or curious- but right now, I do not care- because I have a date with Regina Mills and I don't think anything could ruin my mood!" She cheered, Mary Margaret laughing as the blonde grabbed her hand and they danced together around the room, Emma turning the music on the radio up, _Girls Just Want to Have Fun_ blasting out as they laughed loudly together. An hour later, Emma was dressed in a short red dress with her hair pinned to the side read for Regina to pick her up. She was still bouncing slightly in her flat red pumps, Mary Margaret coming up behind her, placing her hands on her shoulders to calm her.

"Steady girl, you are going to tire yourself out before the night has started." Nodding Emma swapped her bouncing with pacing, her yelp startling Mary Margaret as there was a knock on the door. She suddenly looked petrified, sharing a look with her new friend.

"You got this! Go!" She ushered, Emma nodding as she took a deep breath, opening the door. Regina was wearing a long black dress, her heels sparkling in the light, her hair straightened around her beautiful face. The two were stunned as they took the other in, Emma's face breaking out into a wide grin.

"You look, stunning." She whispered, Regina nodding back in amazement.

"Not as beautiful as you, miss Swan. May I?" She held out her hand, Emma nodding as she slipped out the apartment, Mary Margaret closing the door behind her with a sigh.

"They grow up so fast." She joked to herself as they headed out to Regina's car. They took the short drive to one of the few fancy restaurants in the small town, Regina having reserved them a window table. They settled into a small conversation while they decided on what to order, Emma going with the steak while Regina settled for the salmon. Regina couldn't help but be mesmerised by Emma as the blonde stood to order their drinks at the bar. She watched as she ever so slightly rocked her hips to the dull music playing in the background, how her long fingernails danced along the bar top while she waited, how her beautiful face glowed in the moonlight from the overhead window. She was breathtakingly stunning. Emma returned with a glass of red wine for Regina and a glass of white for herself, frowning as she saw the distant look in Regina's eyes.

"Is everything okay?" She asked, sipping as her wine slowly.

"Yes, I was just taking in the view." Emma frowned as she looked out the window, the town lit up in the distance making her head tilt with confusion.

"Emma, I meant you." Regina giggled, the blonde's face heating up as she laughed.

"Oh, I knew that." She joked, the two laughing in harmony. They spent the rest of the night eating and laughing, the two feeling overwhelmed with joy with the others presence. Regina dropped Emma off, the two not wanting to leave the others side.

"Maybe on our next date, we could finish in someone's bedroom." Regina winked, Emma raising her eyebrow at the brunette.

"Who says I agreed to a second date?" Regina knew she was kidding as the two burst out laughing seconds later. With a grin, Emma kissed Regina goodbye and fled the car, the taste on Emma's lips lingering long after Regina arrived home. Henry was sitting on the couch when she walked through the door, the aroma of her happiness shocking to him.

"How was your meeting?" He asked, Regina smiling as she guided him to bed.

"Boring. Goodnight Henry. She kissed his forehead before tucking him in, Henry still confused by her overwhelming aura of happiness.

"Goodnight." He whispered back confused, watching as she left the room. He straight away went to his computer, sending off a quick email to his 3 friends on the other side of the world.

 _I think Mom is planning something. She told me she had a meeting but was overdressed and come back happier than I have ever seen her. Something is off. I am going to discuss things with Ma tomorrow. Keep you in the loop. Henry._

* * *

"Hey guys, come look." Lucy shouted to August and Jackson from across the tent, her tablet screen lighting up their faces.

"I bet $10 she went on a date with Emma." Jackson commented, August nodding his head in agreement.

"Henry is not going to be happy when he finds out about this." He stated, Lucy cringing.

"Should we warn Emma?" Jackson shook his head, heading back over to his bunk.

"Give him a week and if he gets more suspicious we should give her a heads up. For all we know, they could have never even gone on a date." They all nodded, deciding to let Henry play out for a while longer, hoping he never got hurt in the process.


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay so I have been the worst updater in the world but I have a good excuse- well a few actually...**

 **First of all, June was my exam month and due to them being very important exams, I was trying to put all my focus on revision rather than writing. Then, after my exams, like literally two days after my final one, it was my 18th birthday! I had a party and it was amazing and shared with everyone I love. Birthday present time arrived and one of them was a 10 day holiday 4 days after my birthday. While being in Cyprus when the temperature is hitting the late 80's, early 90's, it is hard to sit and pay attention to a laptop screen. I could barely move some days it was so hot and if I wasn't lying unconscious on the couch under to AC, I was in the pool- that was basically how I spent the entire 10 days. Birthday present number two was a little puppy! Ever since my 13 year old dog passed away earlier this year, there has been a huge hole in my heart and with a lot of persuasion, my dad finally caved and a little puppy has now joined our family. I have spent a lot of time this past week (exactly) settling him in and also settling into my new job but now that everything has fallen back into place and I have 2 months off before starting University, you will probably see me a lot more than you have been.**

 **Okay so enough about my boring life, onto the story! This chapter was really hard to write only because it hurt my feels terribly. I apologise in advance ;)**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to review!.**

Emma and Regina had been secretly dating for the past 2 months, both completely unaware that the more nights they spent out, the more suspicious Henry was getting of their behaviour. The pair had just been out for another secret date, the only people knowing being Mary Margaret and David, though she sworn David never knew, despite the two growing extremely close. Emma stood outside Regina's driveway, the two slowly pulling their hands away.

"You could come inside for a coffee you know, Henry is asleep." Regina winked, Emma knowing exactly what she meant by coffee, and it was not the strong, caffeine filled drink.

"I wouldn't want to risk him waking up. You know how upset he would be if he found out Regina. We need to ease it on him, and him waking up to me half naked around your house is not what I mean." Knowing the woman was right, she nodded and allowed Emma to walk her to the doorway before leaving. Little did they know Henry was not asleep and was awake, watching out the window in confusion. He was sure his mom said she was not feeling well and that was why he couldn't stay over tonight; why was she with his other mom?

"Are you sure I can't tempt you?" With a roll of her eyes, Emma slowly leaned in for a quick but passion filled kiss before walking away, Regina star-struck, Henry watching in disgust.

"What? No!" He cried, flinging himself away from the window. He paced his room stressfully, running his hand through his hair.

"She had to have her under a spell, if she is in love then she can't break the curse. It has to be a spell." He continued to whisper to himself, stopping when he heard his mom come up the stairs. She was shocked when she opened the door and saw him awake, silently thanking whoever that Emma had no excepted her invitation.

"Henry- what are you doing awake? You have a sleeping pattern to maintain." She complained, crossing her arms over her chest. Without hesitation he marched towards her, his fists shaking.

"What have you done to my mom?" Frowning, she went to crouch down to his eye level but stopped when he continued his rant, her eyes wide.

"I know you have been seeing her, you have been sneaking out for 2 months and I saw you two kiss! I want to know what spell you have put on her!" Gob smacked, Regina tried to form a sentence, unsure on how to proceed. He was clearly under the impression this was all down to the Evil Queen inside her but he had no idea it was not what he was thinking at all- but whether he would believe her was another thing.

"Henry wait, let me explain- "He burst out again, cutting Regina off.

"No! This is your plan to stop her from breaking the curse and it won't work! She was born to defeat you and she will. You won't win, everyone will soon see who you really are! You are the Evil Queen and the saviour will win." She stood up straight, trying to push back the tears in her eyes as she nodded. Henry was right, she was the Evil Queen and Emma was born to defeat her. It would happen sooner or later so maybe it would be better if it happened without the complications of their relationship- maybe it would hurt less. She backed out of Henry's room, his fury turning to confusion as she grabbed his door handle.

"You're right Henry- I'm sorry I ever made you feel like you were crazy because you aren't. you are smart and I know you will help Emma figure it out. I will fix my mistakes." Shocked at her sudden change, he just nodded and watched her walk out and shut the door. Had she finally cracked? Was good going to win? He wasn't sure what had just happened but he knew that if his mom was really believing him at last, maybe his time frame had shortened. He needed to figure out how the curse was to break and he needed to do it now.

/…

Emma woke up the next morning grabbing her phone, about ready to text Regina when the brunette had already beat her to it, but the text had come at 2am when the blonde had already been asleep. Opening the message, she felt her heart sink in her chest, her phone clutched in her hand as Mary Margaret come upstairs, noticing the Look on her room-mates face.

"Emma, what's wrong?" All she could do was hand her phone over, Mary Margaret sitting down as she read the message out loud.

 _"Emma, I think that we should stop what we have. You are right, with Henry it is too risky and he won't react well. I would not want to jeopardise your growing relationship with him and I cannot see it working out for me anyway. It was nice for the time being but we need to be realistic, it was just a fairy-tale looking to be ruined._ " Shocked at the brutality of the message, she looked up to see tears pouring down Emma's cheeks, climbing over the wrap the blonde up in her arms.

"I thought we had something special- it was going so good. Why would she do that?" She cried, Mary Margaret shushing her as she rocked her shaking form. They sat like that for what seemed like hours, Emma pulling back telling her friend she needed to get ready for work. Reluctantly, she left Emma, promising to bring home ice cream and brownies. She was extremely happy Henry was supposed to be staying over that night and was glad that there was something keeping her here. The day went by slowly, Emma not flinching from her position on the couch as Mary Margaret opened the door, her hands full of bags. She took in Emma, seeing the numerous plates and bowls scattering the blonde, clearly seeing that the woman had took the day to eat away her troubles. She felt bad for the news she had, Emma finally looking up, a frown covering her face.

"Where is Henry, I thought he was coming home with you?"

"About that, Emma I am so sorry he said that he was not up for staying tonight and said it might be a couple of days until he sees you next." She let out a shaky breath and nodded, lying back down on the couch.

"I understand." It was barely a whisper but it was heard. Sighing, Mary Margaret placed the bags in the kitchen and joined her broken friend, the tears continuing to soak Emma's cheeks. Two out of the three things that were keeping her sane in this small town had fell apart in a matter of hours, and she didn't know how to handle the emotions right now- so she cried.


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay so I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much.**

 **Don't forget to review!**

Mary Margaret watched Emma painfully as she packed her things away, the grip on her coffee cup tight, her knuckles going white.

"You don't have to leave you know." She said, Emma looking up sadly. She hated leaving her new friend, grateful for the bond they had grown, but she couldn't stay here any longer; it was too painful.

"I know, but I can't do this. I can't know that he is right down the road and doesn't want to see me, or work under her knowing she broke me. I've suffered so much I just, don't think I can handle putting myself through this every day." Mary Margaret felt guilty for holding Emma back and nodded, coming around from the kitchen counter to hug the blonde.

"I'll come back and visit I promise, I mean it's not like I have anything else to do with my life back at home." Emma admitted openly that in Boston she had nothing to do. Here she had a job, friends; in Boston, she had an empty apartment and a lot of DVD boxsets.

"You better, I will hold that against you." They laughed, the two finishing up the small amount of packing, Emma picking up the large duffle bag, ready to say her final goodbye to Henry. She opened the door just as David was knocking, a smile on her face as she greeted him, though his return wasn't as heartfelt

"You're really leaving?" He asked sadly, Emma looking away slightly.

"Yeah, I just think it's time for me to head back home for a while. I am relying on you to look after my girl here okay? I am really glad you two finally found each other." She nodded in the direction of her brunette room-mate, the three sharing smiles as she gave David a one-armed hug and exited the apartment. With one last sigh, she waved to the two and headed down the stairs. David wrapped Mary Margaret up in his arms, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"I'm really going to miss her." She whispered, David kissing the top of her head lightly.

"Come on, let's go for a walk." He nudged her along, her small smile bright despite the gloomy day.

/..

Emma put her bag in the back of the car and drove it around to Regina's house, glad to see the brunette's car was not there meaning she could have her moment with Henry and be gone without the heartache of having to see her. She turned the car around and made sure it was set for her drive straight out of town before heading up the path to the house. After knocking, Henry opened the door, his face covered in confusion when he looked up at his mom.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

"I can't stay long kid, can I come in for a second?" He nodded and shut the door behind her, anxiously staring at the stairs as she stood at the bottom of them. At the moment, he was on a video call with Lily, August and Jackson, the four all working to figure out the curse before it was too late for Emma to break it. Emma could sense his anxiety from across the hall, her heart shattering a little more at his hast need for her to leave- the sensation was radiating off him.

"I just wanted to say goodbye." Henry's eyes flashed to Emma in horror, his head shaking from side to side ever so slightly.

"Goodbye? Why? Where are you going?"

"I am going back home for a while Henry. I just, don't feel like I am wanted here anymore." His eyes were wide, him going up to her, his eyes pleading for her to understand.

"No mom you can't leave! Why would you think that?" Emma sighed, feeling like now was the time to come clear about her fling with Regina, despite the fact she may be leaving him seething at her, which she did not like; but she had no other choice.

"Henry listen to me, I don't think you knew but for a while me and your mother saw each other, romantically. I know you may disagree with this but, I was in love with her, and for the time I thought she was with me, but suddenly she cut off all ties with me and left me hanging dry and it really hurt; on a level that I didn't know hurt could reach. After that you also withdrew yourself and my reasons for staying disappeared so I don't know what else to do Henry." He was shocked at her confession, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She was really in love with his mom, it wasn't a spell. But why would she admit to cursing Emma if it wasn't true? His hostility must have pushed her over the edge; it was the only explanation. It was his fault Emma wanted to leave.

"This is all my fault." He whispered, Emma kneeling down so she was eye level with him.

"No Henry, this is not your fault. This is a thing that sometimes happens between two adults who cross the friendship line and it is totally natural." He continued to shake his head, panic setting in as he thought of a way to keep her in Storybrooke.

"You don't understand, I saw you two kissing outside and I accused my mom of putting a curse on you to make you want to be with her. I thought it was her plan to stop you from breaking the curse." Pulling back slightly, Emma tilted her head in confusion, but it suddenly made sense. She couldn't be mad at him of course because his fantasy had gotten the better of him, it was her own fault for letting it get so far.

"Oh Henry, I know you want to believe that this curse is real but accusing her of such things, it has gotten to far. We need to sit down and talk this out properly otherwise your accusations will grow worse and they can cause a lot more damage than just separating two people." His mind clicked as her realised the only way to make her believe was to show her the picture. It worked with three people who had never met him so it had to work with Emma, it had to.

"Wait here!" He demanded suddenly, rushing upstairs to where his computer sat empty. He quickly saw a message from the three that they had to go but would call him letter and logged off, grabbing the printed picture and the book, running back downstairs. Emma sighed when she saw him approach with the book again, her words taken out of her mouth when he grabbed her hand and dragged her into the kitchen.

"Listen, I know you don't want to believe that the curse is real, and I didn't want to show you this until after the curse was broken but this is the only way you will believe. August, Lily and Jackson all believe in the curse; they have been helping me figure out ways on how to break it via emails and video chats since they left. Don't be mad at them; but they saw this and believed so you have to as well." He paused and opened the book to the page were Emma is being placed in the wardrobe, Emma had seen the page so many times but it always sent her stomach a little south every time she saw it, though she wasn't sure why.

"This is the baby who is being placed into the wardrobe- and that baby is you. Now I know that you have seen this page a million times since you came here but as one last try, can you see how we know that baby is you?" Emma sighed, eyeing the page up. For her life, she couldn't understand what her three friends and son had seen that she hadn't. Looking up, she shook her head, watching as Henry pulled out a picture from the front of the book.

"Maybe if you zoomed in a little on the baby, you would understand." Slowly, he turned the picture over and handed it to her. She felt her heart speed up and eyes widen, her mouth going dry as she took in the zoomed in picture. It was the same image, a man placing a baby into the wardrobe except the blur on the corner of the blanket was more prominent. It wasn't a smudged area or even a small signature of the author, it was a name, a very distinctive and familiar name. _Emma._ The blanket was the same one she was wrapped up in when she was found; the blanket she had kept with her since she landed into the system; the blanket that sat in the front of her car just outside the house. She finally understood, she was the baby- it was all true- everything Henry had explained and everything she had read in that stupid fairy tale book. It was all true.

"My room-mate is my mom." She whispered, her voice cracking as her hand flew to her mouth in utter shock. Henry felt himself fill with pride as he took in her realisation- everything he had been working up to had finally arrived, and seeing the pure joy and shock run across her features made all the hard work worth it.

"You finally believe me?" He asked, needing to hear her say it. She looked up at him, placing the picture down on the side as she wrapped him up in her arms, laughing slightly with a nod.

"I believe you Henry."


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay so this story has not been updated in SO LONG and I am so sorry! I lost my muse completely for it and haven't been able to pick it back up again but I promise that will change. I am back updating my stories *hopefully* regularly so will do my best to keep that up with this as well.**

 **Okay so this chapter takes part right after the end of the last chapter- Emma finally believes Henry about the curse and the two need to figure out how to break it. This is very AU and does not follow what happens on the show at all so take that into consideration as you read.**

 **Enjoy and don't forget to drop me a review!**

* * *

Emma paced the large living space, Henry watching her as she came to term with everything.

"It's all true. Everything is actually true. Mary-Margaret is my mom, I've been living with my mom, while she has been having a secret relationship with my dad, who she doesn't know is my dad. I was dating the Evil Queen." She suddenly stopped, Henry coming to her side, trying to follow what she was thinking.

"What is it?" She slumped down on the sofa, her head in her hands.

"It was all fake." She looked up with teary eyes, shaking her head slightly. "I honestly thought we had something good, I was falling in love with her. But it was just a ploy to get at me, to stop me breaking the curse." Her voice got quieter as she spoke, Henry feeling a pang of guilt shoot through his heart as he realised the pain his mom was feeling was partially his fault.

"I'm so sorry mom. I had no idea your feelings were real. Maybe hers were too, maybe she actually did love you?" It was a possibility, right? He wasn't being crazy suggesting that, but Emma just shook her head, a small smile on her face.

"It doesn't matter. What we need to think about is how to break this curse. I'm guessing your mom has some magical source over here, something to feed the curse and stop it from collapsing naturally. We need to find that source and inhabit it, use that to our advantage." He nodded in agreement, wondering where to start. In all honesty, he didn't know. He was so focused on getting Emma to believe him, he never thought ahead of what they would do when she did.

"I need to tell August, Lucy and Jackson! They will be so happy that you know!" He exclaimed, hoping they could help. Emma nodded, standing up.

"Tell them I will call them later, I have a hunch that I want to follow up on. See you later?" He nodded, hugging Emma quickly before running up the stairs. She left the mansion, jumping in her car. She sat there for a moment in utter shock, everything still dawning on her. She just couldn't believe everything was true, all Henry had spoken of since she met him; it was actually real. She was born in the enchanted forest, by Snow White and Prince Charming, then was sent into a wardrobe to find them 28 years later and break the curse. Now here she was, 28 years later, roommates with her mom who was none the wiser, trying to break the curse cast by her ex-girlfriend.

"What the fuck." She whispered to herself, laughing slightly at how crazy everything seemed. She tried to shake everything off and headed to Gold's Pawn shop, testing a theory. She walked into the shop, the bell alerting Gold of her presence.

"Miss Swan, how can I help you?" She stayed silent for a moment, walking around looking at something, anything that would catch her eye. Then she saw it, a mobile hanging by his cash register.

"This mobile is beautiful. Kind of looks like then one from Henry's book." She saw him hesitate as he looked at it, the man shrugging suddenly.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen this book you speak of." She pursed her lips and nodded, leaning on the counter in thought.

"It's a pretty interesting book. It's a real twist on fairy tales- Rumpelstiltskin is my favourite character in it I think." Mr Gold scoffed, looking down at the blonde in annoyance.

"What do you want, Miss Swan?" She stood up, looking him dead in the eye.

"I want to know, what you know. You're telling me that, in the time that you have been here, the fact that nobody ages and nothing ever changes doesn't bother you?" His eyes widened in astonishment, Emma smiling knowingly.

"I knew it, you know about the curse don't you?" He sighed, inviting the blonde into the back of his shop.

"How did he get to you? You've been here for almost 7 months and have been arguing with him for the duration of that time. What did he do, to get through to you?"

"He had a very high definition picture of a baby being placed into the wardrobe before the curse hit in the story. The baby happens to wrapped in the same blanket that I have in my car that I was found in when I was a baby. Everything started making sense the more I thought about it after that." He nodded, surprised that the boy had actually gotten through to her. Maybe all hope wasn't lost for Storybrooke.

"And how did you figure out who I was?"

"Mr Gold and Rumpelstiltskin have a lot in common. Tricksters, deal makers- it didn't take me long. And considering in the book, Rumpelstiltskin made the curse and sold it on to the Evil Queen, I'm guessing you would have made it specifically so you weren't effected as everyone else was. Am I close?" He rolled his eyes, nodding his head slowly.

"Okay, so now you need to break the curse. Why am I the first person you come to?"

"You have to know something about how she is keeping this curse alive. She needs a magical source, somewhere here, and I know you know something about it. If magic created this thing, magic is bound to destroy it, right?"

"Wrong. Nothing can break a curse, I'm pretty sure the book says a thing or two about that multiple times." She scoffed, knowing there has to be more.

"But the curse on Snow White was broken." She exclaimed, Mr Gold laughing slightly.

"Yes, and how did Prince Charming do that exactly?" Her face fell in annoyance.

"True loves kiss. Damnit!" She stood and paced, Gold, leaning back, watching her in amusement. She looked at him, the anger building up inside her making her blood boil.

"I know this is entertaining for you, Rumpelstiltskin, but this is my family we are talking about. My parents are literally down the road, and they have no idea who I am. Henry has been called crazy for years because he had hope and now, now I know everything and I have to just what? Sit back and watch. No- there has to be another way. You can't tell me there isn't something out there that you want or need that is just outside this curse." Watching his face drop momentarily, Emma knew she had him. There _was_ something.

"There is an apple. She summoned it via a hat I had in my shop from a time frame in her life, just after Snow White bite into it. It holds just enough magic to keep something like the curse alive without naturally collapsing. She doesn't know I know it's here. She keeps in in her vault in the grave yard. I don't know what you would do with a cursed apple but it's a start." Emma nodded along as he spoke, wondering _what_ she could do with the apple.

"The end wouldn't be to kill her, because she never _made_ the curse, she only _cast_ it. And of course I am not going to kill _you_ but, that would do the opposite right? That would bound the curse forever." Gold nodded, seeing that she was picking everything up quickly. He saw the heartbreak in her eyes, knowing that Emma and Regina had a relationship, and the thought of killing the brunette was too painful for Emma to think about, let alone actually do.

"You're right. Killing the source would only make the curse stronger." She stopped for a moment, fiddling with her fingers as she thought.

"What about me? Would killing _me_ break the curse? What if this is my final battle?" Gold thought for a moment. It made sense but in all honesty, he wasn't sure.

"I have to tell you Swan, I don't actually know. It might, but then it might not, and you would be dead and the town would be doomed. Would it be worth the risk?" She shrugged, running her hand through her hair stressfully.

"I'm going to get that apple." She went to walk out the shop, turning around in confusion when Gold followed her. "And where do you think you're going?" He laughed, opening the door for her.

"Well, you're going to need someone to stand guard of her vault in case she takes a visit aren't you." She frowned, watching him lock up his shop.

"And how do I know I can trust you?" She questioned, Gold rolling his eyes.

"You can't, but so far, the only people dumb enough to believe you is an 11 year old boy and me, so what else can you do?" She sighed, looking at him momentarily before nodding, motioning to her car.

"Let's go."


	14. Chapter 14

There was something about trusting the man next to her that unsettled her stomach. She had read through the book a million times since she met Henry and Rumpelstiltskin is probably the worst character of them all. She drove to the graveyard, watching him fiddle with his walking-stick at his side.

"What is in this for you? What does breaking the curse do for you?" She asked him, shocked when he actually gave him an answer.

"The Evil Queen took something from me a long time ago, and I know that she is hiding it somewhere. With the curse broken and magic roaming around the streets again, I might be able to track it down." She nodded slowly, still unsure as to what else he could possibly need.

"What could she possibly have that you would want to break her trust to gain? You have a shop full of everything anyone could ever want and you own a lot of land in Storybrooke. The curse gave you a good life, what else do you need?" He stayed silent, Emma rolling her eyes, continuing the drive. They arrived at the graveyard and Gold showed her to the vault in the middle of the plot of land. She looked around and left the man at the entrance as she walked in, shutting the door behind herself. At first it looked like a usual mausoleum, the grave her father was buried in standing in the centre of the room. She ran her hand over the name engraved on the lid, sighing heavily. Was the Henry Mills she named their son after even her father? She didn't know what she believed anymore, and it made her heart heavy with regret. Maybe she should have left when she had the chance, or maybe she shouldn't have come at all. She had gained a wonderful thing having Henry back in her life, but she had also suffered greatly since coming and she wasn't sure if it was all worth it. Out of anger, she kicked at the grave, shocked when it moved suddenly, revealing a hole in the floor. She laughed at the irony, continuing to push it, a set of stairs staring at her. She took one last glance at the door before venturing down the stairs. The vault below wasn't much bigger than upstairs, the room rather cramped but she gave Regina credit- it was a good hiding spot. She rummaged through every draw and box she could find, shocked when she came across an apple with a bite out of it, the fruit looking as fresh as the day it was created.

"Gold wasn't lying." She muttered to herself, grabbing the apple, shoving it in her pocket. She ran back up the stairs and out the vault, Gold jumping when she appeared next to him.

"I have it. Let's take is back to Henry and see if we can figure out how to rid the magic from the apple and break the curse." It didn't take long for them to get to the Mayor's house. Henry was sat eagerly waiting for Emma's arrival. He was shocked however when he saw Gold, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What is he doing here?" Emma laughed, inviting Gold in, ushering Henry into the kitchen.

"Mr Gold has helped me with a theory I had. He knows about the curse Henry- he knows everything." Henry's jaw dropped to the floor, Mr Gold taking a seat on a chair around the dining table.

"You're a very smart boy Henry. I would have mentioning something a lot sooner, but me and your mother had a deal and you know how seriously I take my deals. I was sworn to act none the wiser around you and I stuck to it. However, I am very impressed at how you got through to Miss Swan- you have done your mother proud." He grinned happily, looking at Emma who had pulled out the apple, inspecting it on the kitchen side.

"Is that the apple my mom used to curse Snow White?"

"I think so. It was a bite taken out of it, but I'm curious as to why that didn't kill the magic inside it. The apple did its job, it cursed Snow White."

"Magic is smart Miss Swan. Maybe, despite it being pulled from the time frame when Snow White took a bite out of it, it knows that she is still alive and so, technically, it hasn't fulfilled its prophecy." Henry nodded, understanding what Gold meant.

"He is right. Maybe when Mary Margaret took a bite out of the apple, the magic was drained from it, but when my mom brought the apple here, the magic inside it could sense she was still alive." Nodding slowly, Emma came to understand what the two meant, but she sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"Yes but it still doesn't explain how we can drain the magic from it. We can't curse Mary Margaret because if that instantly doesn't kill the curse, David isn't her true love. Yes, they are getting there, but his feelings are still conflicted and she would be stuck in limbo and we would be back where we started, except with a victim." Suddenly, the three turned in horror when they heard the front door open and close, Emma's heart sinking as she heard Regina call out.

"Henry?" The brunette appeared around the corner, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of the three in her kitchen. Her eyes lingered on Emma for a moment before she looked at Henry, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

"What is going on here?" Nobody spoke a word, Gold staring at Henry who was staring at Emma who was staring at Gold. Regina felt her confusion growing, going to speak again when suddenly Emma spoke up, picking up the apple, watching Regina's face drop.

"We know about the curse Regina." Emma saw the fear flash in Regina's eyes and she knew instantly what the woman was thinking, speaking up again to comfort her slightly. "We're not going to kill you. We have come to the conclusion that killing the maker and caster of the curse won't do us any good, hence why Gold is still alive."

"Do you know about to break the curse?" Henry asked bluntly, Emma nudging his arm slightly, motioning for him to back off.

"No. If I did, I would have told Emma when we started dating." Emma turned back to her in shock, Henry's eyes widening. "I could see how much it hurt you, not knowing about your childhood and thinking you were abandoned and it killed me. I spent hours every day trying to destroy the apple in hopes that it would weaken the curse but I couldn't do it. It's the only thing that has any magic so I have no control over it."

"Your feelings for Emma were real?" Gold asked with a raised eyebrow, the brunette staring his down with a nod.

"Yes, they were." Emma felt like the walls were caving in on her, the world spinning as she tried to comprehend everything. So much has happened today she wasn't sure if she was keeping up with it all.

"Wait, can we just slow down a second so I can think!" Emma snapped suddenly, everyone going silent, watching her pace the kitchen. She tossed the apple between her hands, her mind going at 100mph.

"Henry, I need you to leave the room." She said, Regina frowning as she stepped towards her son, her eyes full of concern as Emma turned around.

"Emma? What are you thinking?"

"Mom?" Henry grabbed her hand, Emma kissing it slightly.

"You know, I thought about you every day since your adoption. When I was in the army and after when I would sit home alone, I would picture you in my head, how I wanted you to look and sound. It turns out you were ten times better than I ever could have dreamed and your mom raised you well. I know it hasn't been long and I couldn't possibly know you as well as I would love to, but I do love you Henry, and I am so grateful that you came and found me and got me to believe because I see everything so differently know, and I owe that all to you, but I really need you to leave. I can't do this with you here." A tear rolled down her cheek as Henry wrapped his arms around Emma, his head shaking against her chest.

"No you can't do it. You don't know if it will work." She took a shaky breath and looked at Gold, the realisation hitting him as he came to Henry's side, pulling him out the room and away from Emma, the two women watching in agony.

"You need to leave too." Emma looked to Regina, the brunette shaking her head.

"Henry is right. You don't know that this will work. You could ruin your chances of ever meeting your parents Emma." The blonde wrapped her arms around Regina suddenly, the brunette falling into her frame.

"I'm sorry that me coming here caused you so much pain. If this works, or eventually you figure it out, because I know you will, I want you to introduce August and Lily and Jackson to my parents. I want you to make amends with the town and be the best Queen you can. I want you to move on and forget me, okay?" She pulled back and passionately kissed the woman she had grown to love so much since she came to the small town that had changed her life. As soon as the kiss ended, the blonde took a bite out of the apple, the world speeding up, Regina unable to catch her breath as a huge gust of wind blew her to the floor, knocking her unconscious.


	15. Chapter 15

**I have taken a leave from university for personal reasons so I am hoping to be at home writing a lot more than I have been.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter and don't forget to drop me a review!**

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Regina groaned, rubbing her head slowly as she came to, Henry shaking her shoulders.

"Mom you have to wake up. Please mom wake up." She pried open one eye, her son hovering over her with a relieved smile.

"You're awake!" He exclaimed, grabbing her hand, pulling her upright, the woman still rubbing her head.

"What happened? Emma? Where is Emma?" She suddenly remembered; the hug, the kiss, the apple! Throwing herself up, she felt herself go dizzy, feeling a pair of hands wrap around her torso.

"Slow down cowboy, I'm right here." With wide eyes, Regina turned to see Emma standing before her, that stupid grin she always sports covering her face. She looked just as confused as Regina felt but that didn't matter- she was alive. Without thinking, Regina wrapped herself around Emma, the blonde falling into her arms happily.

"You did it. I can feel it- Emma, you broke the curse!" Henry and Gold shared surprised looks, the two pulling apart, Emma frowning slightly.

"How do you know? What do you mean you can _feel_ it?"

"The magic. Before, the magic was trapped. I could feel it, maybe it was because I cast the curse- but now, the magic is free. It's everywhere, roaming around to its own free will. The curse is most definitely broken." Henry ran to the two women, them wrapping him up in their arms happily, Gold watching from afar. He thought best that he slip out, allowing them to adjust on their own terms. As he went to open the front door, he was almost knocked over by Mary Margaret and David, the two panting heavily.

"Gold? What are you doing here? Where is Henry and Regina? Have you seen Emma?" Mary Margaret threw one hundred questions at him, the man pointing behind himself, the woman not hesitating as she pushed past him, David apologising as he followed.

"Emma? Henry?" She shouted, her hand flying to her mouth as she watched the blonde appear from the kitchen. David's eyes filled with tears as they stood adjacent to each other, neither of the three knowing what to do.

"So, I had this crazy dream where I was sharing a flat with my mom…" Emma started with a laugh, Mary Margaret letting out what sounded like a sob as she crashed into her daughters' arms, the two women crying as they held each other. David slowly approached them, Emma not hesitating as she opened up one of her arms for him to join. Henry and Regina watched with tear filled eyes as the family were finally reunited, though the moment was short lived as David's eyes finally landed on Regina, the hatred filling them slowly. As he released Emma, she immediately saw his intentions, grabbing his hand so he would look at her.

"I know what the Evil Queen did was wrong, but Regina has changed. While we were dating, she worked night and day to try and figure out how to break the curse. She wanted us to be together. Regina was lacking a certain type of love in her heart but she found it. She had as much to do with breaking the curse as I did." Regina stood shell-shocked by Emma's sudden outburst, Mary Margaret approaching her slowly.

"Is this true?" Trying to find her words, the brunette nodded, her mouth dry.

"I got to know Emma in the short time that we dated, and I could see how hurt she was every time she mentioned being abandoned by the side of a road. I hated seeing her that way, and I wanted to show her that the memories she had were false, that you did what you did to protect her- from me." The end faded out as she realised what she was saying, but Emma was quick to react, grabbing her hand, placing a tender kiss on it.

"I've read your story, and you were hurting by what happened to Daniel. You handled your grief in the worst possible way, but you have learnt from what you did. No lesson is ever taught late, but more when it is needed." Henry stood back and watched in awe as the family reconciled and made up over what had happened years before. He was so proud at how his mother had took on her role as the saviour and was slowly reconnecting a broken town.

"We are going to need to talk to the townspeople. They are going to need a little time to get their heads around this." David explained, Regina agreeing.

"We will talk to them together. If we each share our individual parts of the story, they will be able to see sense eventually. They respect and trust you both and knowing Emma broke the curse has earned her spot in their hearts- it's just my turn now to follow suit." Nodding in agreement, Mary Margaret went to head to the door, Emma in hand when she stopped suddenly, turning back to Emma who didn't move.

"Emma, sweetie?" The blonde had suddenly gone very pale, her eyes distant, Regina stepping forward, tilting her chin up with her hand.

"Emma? Look at me Emma." Though their eyes were meeting, Emma was not seeing anything. They were glazed over, her body swaying from side to side. Suddenly, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, the blonde falling into Regina's arms, the woman yelping in distress.

"David, help me get her on the sofa." She shouted, the man coming to Emma's aid, grabbing her legs while Regina hooked herself under Emma's arms. They slowly carried her to the sofa, laying her down.

"She is ice cold." Henry commented in a panic, feeling Emma's forehead that was drenched with cold droplets of sweat. Regina stood and threw the lampshade on the table across the room, screaming loudly.

"I knew it! I knew it was too good to be true. The fact she didn't have any side effects was uncanny, hard to believe. It must have kicked in slower than originally because of the land we are in." Mary Margaret and David shared a look of confusion, Henry shaking his head.

"No! She was fine. She woke before you did and she has been walking and talking- she was FINE!"

"What are you two talking about?" David yelled, snapping the two out of their state.

"Emma and Gold figured out that there must have been an item here in Storybrooke that held a little bit of magic in it to feed the curse. Gold admitted to Emma that I had brought the apple I cursed you with over because it was small enough to be discreate, but strong enough to feed the curse. When we started dating, I tried all I could to destroy it, but without magic myself there was nothing I could do. Emma took a bite out of the apple hoping to drain the magic out of it and shatter the curse, and it worked! She woke up and she was fine as you could see, but I think the effects have took longer to take hold of her body and now it's shutting down. The only problem is, magic is not fully restored so we are still in a regular town- the effects are going to be drastically different. You were put under a sleeping curse- but curses don't exist here. I have no idea what the poison is doing to her body." David and Mary Margaret tried their best to keep up with Regina as she rambled as quickly as she could, retelling the story in the most detailed fashion. Once they had everything wrapped around their heads, it slowly started to sink in that Regina was right- nobody could tell what the poison would do to her body and they were slowly running out of time.

"Well, there is only one thing we can do right now." David said suddenly jumping into action, lifting Emma up into a fireman's hold, running for the door. "We need to get her to a hospital- NOW!"

* * *

 **oh no... another cliffhanger... I promise I am not trying to kill you all!**

 **drop me a review on what you think will happen to Emma!**


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